


suddenly, unexpectedly

by twolittlesparks



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2018-06-02 12:39:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 68,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6566512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twolittlesparks/pseuds/twolittlesparks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU; an artist meets a single mom (and her daughter) on a cross-country flight from Los Angeles to Washington, DC.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i.

**Author's Note:**

> this thing was supposed to be a stupid fluffy one-shot au but it just won’t leave me alone so here i am attempting to make this a multi-chapter fic???

The only thing Ashlyn Harris wants for the 5-hour, cross-country flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. is peace and quiet.

When a tired, sad-looking ( _cute_ , Ashlyn notes) brunette walks up to her row and gives her a tight-lipped smile, she figures her prayers have been answered. But then, said brunette gently pushes her young daughter into Row 23, right into the middle seat.

Ashlyn barely manages to keep from groaning out loud.

She immediately reaches for her noise-cancelling headphones.

Fucking _great_.

 

* * *

 

It doesn't turn out as bad as Ashlyn originally envisioned. Cute, Sad Brunette hands her little girl a princess picture book, and the little girl seems engrossed with it, not even flinching as the plane roars to life and takes off into the morning clouds. Ashlyn starts playing games on her phone and shuffling through her music until she's satisfied.

The next time she glances to her left, the brunette is fast asleep. Her daughter has a slight pout on her face, only halfway through her book, but obviously bored. The little girl must notice Ashlyn move out of the corner of her eye, because she turns, looking up at Ashlyn with wide eyes. Ashlyn can only imagine how she feels, and how can she ignore her anyway? So she does the only thing she can think of.

She sticks her tongue out.

The girl continues to stare at her blankly until Ashlyn crosses her eyes.

A smile spreads across the little girl's face, and Ashlyn doesn't need to take her headphones off to know she's giggling.

Figuring she was on the right track, she points to the girl's mom. Then she flops her head to the side, closing one eye, opening her mouth and letting out an obnoxious fake snore. More giggles, and Ashlyn doesn't want the brunette to wake up to being mocked by a stranger on a plane, so Ashlyn gently shushes the girl, even as she laughs herself. Little hands cover a little mouth, and Ashlyn is relieved when the brunette doesn't stir.

She sends her seat mate a little wink. She gets a wide smile in return, and the little girl flips another page.

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn is admiring the view out the window, fully engrossed in her music, when she feels the gentle touch on her left arm. She jumps as one tiny finger clumsily traces the lines of her tattoo.

Ashlyn reaches up with her right hand, pulling her headphones off and letting them sit around her neck. Concentration unbroken, the little girl never takes her eyes off of her work.

"Do you think that's cool?" Ashlyn asks, in a voice far softer and sweeter than one would imagine belonged to her.

Big brown eyes finally look up in her direction. A smile, an enthusiastic nod.

"Well," Ashlyn shifts, unbuckles, lifting the armrest between them, "let me tell you a story."

She spends the next 10 minutes weaving a tale in hushed tones, using her sleeve as her illustrations, twisting and turning her arm for her captive audience. Once she's done, she smiles at the girl, who just looks at her expectantly.

"'Nother one?"

It's the first thing she's heard her say, and her sweet little mumble melts Ashlyn's heart.

"Sure, kid. Another one."

Halfway through her story about a princess and her unicorn, the little girl shocks Ashlyn by curling up in her seat and laying her head on Ashlyn's left thigh. She falters just slightly, looking over at the girl's mom, who is still sleeping, mouth slightly open, softly snoring.

By the time the princess and her unicorn defeat the dragon, the little girl is sound asleep, her head still on Ashlyn's thigh and her feet stretching into her mom's lap.

It's quiet for a while, so Ashlyn takes advantage of it, pulling her tray table down and pulling out her sketchpad. She debates for only a few seconds before deciding to start sketching the princess and the unicorn from her story.

The only sound coming from their row is the scratch of pencil on paper until the flight attendant goes to pass by with the cart. The cart bumps into the brunette's elbow, startling her awake. After insisting to the apologetic flight attendant that she was fine, she looks over, panic flooding her face when she notices that her daughter is using the blonde as her personal pillow.

"Oh my— I'm so sorry! Let me—"

"No, no!" Ashlyn hushes. "It's— it's okay. Don't disturb her. I told her a couple of different stories before she found them boring enough to pass out on."

"I'm so sorry," the brunette apologizes again, running her fingers over her face and through her hair. "I'm just— it's been a long day," she mumbles, "and I was so tired and—"

"You looked like you needed the rest. I don't mind." The brunette glares at her a little. Ashlyn replays what she said and backtracks. "I mean, you look fine. Great! That's not what I meant."

She barely hears the muttered " _Nice try,_ " from the end of the row.

_Ah, so that's where the daughter gets it from._

"What was that, Mumbles?"

Another narrow-eyed glare.

"23C?"

Okay, now she's pressing her luck.

"Well, what do your friends call you?" Ashlyn tries again, leaning her head back against the seat, raising her eyebrows and smirking at the still-skeptical brunette.

Her face softens. "Alexandra. Well, Ali."

"Ashlyn. And little Sleeping Beauty down here is?"

"Molly. She's 3, going on 23. A handful, in case you couldn't tell."

Ashlyn chuckles quietly. "She's been the best part of my miserable day, don't you worry."

"You too, huh?"

Ashlyn sighs. "You could say that." She gestures down to her lap. "But I've told enough stories for today. So tell me what's bringing you two to the east coast."

"We're heading back home, to be with my parents. Molly's dad doesn't... he's not in the picture. My brother lives in LA, so we've been staying with him. But there's only so much I can do on my own, you know? It's gotten a lot harder and— wow, sorry, I—" she buries her face in her hands, embarrassed, "I can't believe I'm dumping this on a stranger."

"Hey, we all need someone to talk to," Ashlyn says, tender and genuine. "I'm happy to help."

Ali smiles gratefully before noticing Ashlyn's sketch pad open on her tray table. Ali finally convinces a shy Ashlyn to let her see them all, flipping the book to the beginning. Ali's eyes soften as she watches Ashlyn talk passionately about her work, every sketch, every stroke seeming to have deep meaning for the blonde. They talk until the flight attendant passes again.

"Anything else for you ladies?"

Molly's still passed out in between her and Ali, who shakes her head. Ashlyn says, "We're good, thanks."

Molly chooses that moment to roll over, her nose scrunching adorably as she finds a handful of Ashlyn's shirt in her sleep. Ali looks like she's about to step in, another small flash of panic in her eyes, until the flight attendant lets out a soft _awwww_ and smiles warmly down at Molly, one leg dangling down off the seat.

"She's so precious. She's lucky to have two people who love her as much as you do." She pats Ali's shoulder and walks toward the back of the plane.

Ashlyn feels warmth color her cheeks, and she chuckles.

Ali looks sheepish. "I'm sorry. That... this is awkward."

Ashlyn waves her off. "Don't mention it. If that's the worst thing that happens to me for the rest of the day, I'm doing pretty amazing."

 

* * *

 

After what feels like an eternity — a good one, Ashlyn thinks, because she and Ali haven't stopped talking, and Ali seems looser, calmer than she was mere hours ago — they are wheels-down in DC. Once they pass through the jetway and out into the terminal, Ashlyn clears her throat, her overzealous bow earning her chuckles from her newfound friends.

"May I escort you ladies to the baggage claim?" she asks in a ridiculous ( _terrible_ ) British accent.

This time it's Ali's cheeks that flush. In an attempt to hide that fact from Ashlyn (which, Ashlyn will tell her months down the line, didn't work), she looks down at Molly. "I think we would like that, huh, Mol?"

An exuberant "Yay!" is Molly's response.

Ali looks back up at Ashlyn, and Ashlyn's heart flutters, stumbles when she notices Ali's smile finally reach her eyes, a peek of tongue between her teeth.

"Lead the way!"

 

* * *

 

"You really don't have to do that," Ali insists again, though it's through a laugh and half-hearted at best. Molly giggles loudly from her perch atop Ashlyn's shoulders, her head resting on the black-and-white snapback, arms wrapped underneath Ashlyn's chin.

"The princess must always ride in style!" Ashlyn insists dramatically.

Ali feels something precious and warm settle in her heart, seep into her veins.

They walk out of the airport and into the parking structure, Ashlyn following Ali until she comes to a stop next a small red car.

"This is us," Ali says, her voice tinged with sadness.

Ashlyn reaches above her, lifting Molly off her shoulders with a childish "Weee!" and setting her on the ground. She looks up at Ali, who looks like she wants to say something. Ashlyn rubs at the back of her neck with her right hand, tilting her head.

Ali breaks the silence, the slight tension. "Well, it was a pleasure, 23A."

Ashlyn smiles then, her dimple appearing.

"Pleasure was all mine."

Ashlyn's not sure if it would be crazy to reach out and hug Ali, or shake her hand, and what kind of goodbye is appropriate for someone you didn't know 5 hours ago, but who now feels like someone you'll know 5 years from now?

There is silence again, and Ashlyn is still debating her next move as she reaches out for the handle of her carry-on at the same time Ali does. Their hands brush and Ashlyn doesn't miss the brunette's sharp intake of breath. Ashlyn's about to speak again when she feels a tug on her jeans.

Molly's looking up at her, chin trembling. Ashlyn kneels down.

"I had fun on the plane with you, Molly."

"Can you come to my house?"

Ashlyn looks up at Ali for guidance. She definitely wants to see them again, but has no idea how to tell a beautiful woman with a child that she didn't even know this morning that she really, really liked them — both of them — without sounding extremely forward.

Ali bends down next to them, putting her arm around Molly and speaking in a gentle voice.

"Actually, um, it's—" Ali stops, thinking, and Ashlyn's heart sinks a little as she hears the hesitation. Then she sees something flicker across Ali's gaze. Courage, maybe. Determination. She starts again.

"Molly, can you tell Ashlyn what Saturday is?"

Molly's face brightens. "It's my birthday party!"

"I bet you'd like to see Ashlyn again. Right, Molly?" She's speaking to Molly, but Ali's eyes are locked on Ashlyn's and they both know they're not really talking about the 3-year-old.

"Yes!" Molly exclaims.

The corner of Ashlyn's mouth lifts, and there's that dimple again and Ali's knees feel a little weak.

"I'd love that, too," Ashlyn says.

They go to stand, and Ali can't stop looking at Ashlyn as she reaches into her back pocket and produces her phone. She finally breaks her gaze to unlock the phone, pressing against the screen a few times before holding it out for Ashlyn, who doesn't need any further instruction as she puts her number into Ali's contacts.

Her fingers linger against Ali's as she hands the phone back. "Text me so I'll have your number," she says, adding "the sooner, the better," a little shyly.

Ali smiles, nods. Ashlyn grabs her carry-on then, holding her free hand out in the air for Molly. "High-five, kiddo?" Molly jumps up, gleefully slapping Ashlyn's hand.

"Bye, Al," Ashlyn says softly, walking backwards. "See you soon."

Ali waves, wiggling her fingers.

Ashlyn walks back to the taxi stand, waiting for a ride. Her cab hasn't even made it off airport property when she hears her phone ding. She sees a text and a picture from an unknown number. She swipes and feels like her smile will split her face in two as she sees the selfie Molly and Ali have sent her, tongues sticking out.

_See you soon! ;) -23B and 23C_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was previously posted as part of [wherever you go (go with all your heart)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6465613).


	2. ii.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ashlyn heads to molly's birthday party!

 

"... and Grandpa and Grandma bought me _swings_!" Molly gasps excitedly.

Kyle is sure he'd be melting at her sweet expression... if he could see it. But with the way Molly is holding Ali's phone, the only thing he sees is the ceiling of Ali's bedroom.

"No _way_ , Mol! That's amazing!" Kyle exclaims anyway.

"Hold still," he hears Ali say gently from somewhere off-screen. Then a little click, and a triumphant "All done!" The phone is suddenly being moved, and he hears the rustle of bedsheets as Molly crawls off of Ali's bed.

His sister's face finally comes on the screen, but she's not looking at him.

"Okay, twirl around, show Uncle Kyle your outfit!"

She switches the camera, and there's Molly, smiling and twirling in her pale pink dress, little roses on top, and a fluffy tulle skirt with a bow to match.

"You look like a princess, Mol!"

"Because I _am_!" Molly laughs.

"Okay, sweetie, go downstairs and help Grandma. I have to talk to Uncle Kyle for a minute."

"Okay!" she says, running off, but coming back not a second later, poking her head around the doorframe.

"Mommy, you said Ashy's coming, right?"

Ali plasters a confident smile on her face. "She told me she was, baby. We'll see though. Now, go, go!" she says with a laugh.

Once Molly is out of earshot, Ali looks back down at the phone, and Kyle just stares at her expectantly, one eyebrow arched.

"Okay, I can tell there’s a story here. Spill!"

So Ali sits on her bed, telling Kyle the whole story of the airport, and of the rest of the week — how she and Ashlyn had been texting constantly, and even how Ashlyn had FaceTimed her from the toy aisle in Target ("I am _so_ out of the loop here, Ali, what is all of this crap?") for help with Molly's present.

He's about to tease her, but then he sees her face as she talks about the blonde, and he realizes—

"Alex, you totally have feelings for a _girl_ you met on an _airplane_."

Instead of trying to defend herself, she covers her face with the hand not holding her phone. When she finally looks back at Kyle, though, she's serious.

"Kyle, she makes me feel..." Ali starts, sighing when she can’t think of what to say.

All of a sudden, Kyle is cracking up.

Honest-to-God _hysterical_.

"Oh my _God_ ," he wheezes, laughing at his own joke before he's even delivered the punch line.

"What?!" Ali groans.

"It was—" (he's still fucking _laughing_ ), "it was love at first _flight_!"

" _Jesus_ , Ky— I'm hanging up."

She ends the video chat with a image of a red-faced Kyle frozen on her screen.

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn can tell which one is the Krieger house from the end of the block. She can see the streamers and balloons in varying shades of pink long before she pulls her Jeep into the driveway. Instead of going to the front door, she walks around the side of the house, hearing voices.

She turns the corner and her eyes immediately land on Ali.

She's effortlessly beautiful, plastic party cup in her hand, radiant in a white sundress, her slightly curled hair blowing in the breeze.

Ashlyn sets the large, pink gift bag she brought on the table next to the other presents. Ali finally catches her movements out of the corner of her eye, looking over, her face lighting up. It's a wide, genuine smile.

"You made it!" she grins, as Ashlyn walks over to her.

"I made it," Ashlyn confirms. She's holding a small package in her left hand, but before Ali can ask her about it, Ashlyn's right hand produces a small bouquet of pink roses.

"For you," she murmurs.

Ali's cheeks turn the same color as the flowers as she reaches out for them, smile turning shy. In an attempt to hide her blush, she turns toward the small group of kids running around the backyard.

"Molly!" Ali calls out. Molly stops running, turning toward the sound of her mother's voice. Ali simply points to the blonde next to her, and Ashlyn is surprised Molly's eyes don't fall out of her head with how wide they get as the little girl sees her.

"ASHYYY!" Molly squeals, running full-speed at Ashlyn, barreling into her legs and nearly sending her flying back into the table full of food.

" _Ooof_ ," Ashlyn grunts. "Hey kiddo! Happy birthday!"

Ashlyn's about to squat down, ask Molly about her party and how her birthday has been, but the little girl runs off as fast as she had run in. Ashlyn chuckles, then turns to Ali.

"Ashy?"

Ali shrugs. "You'll have to take that up with her."

"Nah," Ashlyn says. "It's cute. I like it."

Ali's about to say something when her mom calls out to her.

"Alex," Deb says from across the deck, "can you go get inside and get the cupcakes?"

Ali nods, and once Deb isn't looking, Ashlyn places her right hand on the small of Ali's back.

"I'll help you," she says close to Ali's ear.

In the kitchen, Ali hands Ashlyn an empty vase before going over and putting the cupcakes on trays to take outside. They work in silence until Ashlyn finishes, setting the roses on the kitchen table before picking something up.

"Hey, while we're in here," she says, "I know it's Molly's birthday, but I actually have something for you, too." She's holding up a small, square package wrapped in brown paper, tied with the same pink ribbon that she had around Molly's presents.

"Wha— Ashlyn, you didn’t—"

"I know," Ashlyn says quietly, walking back over to lean against the island and reaching for Ali's hand, placing the package in it. "I wanted to."

Ali holds the gift in her hand, looking at Ashlyn with disbelief until Ashlyn smiles, lips pressed together and dimple on display, and nods towards her hands. "Open it."

Ali starts to gingerly rip the paper open, and when she sees what Ashlyn has given her, her breath hitches, eyes instantly brimming with tears.

In the beautiful antique frame (which, as fate would have it, perfectly complements the decor of the living room) is a drawing. No, not a drawing, Ali thinks, because to call what she holds in her hand a "drawing" would be like calling a castle a cottage.

There, in warm hues, is a small painting of Ali and Molly, asleep on the plane. Ashlyn had captured everything, almost as if she had looked at a photograph and copied it.

The small rip in the headrest of Ali's seat.

The little ruffles on Molly's socks.

The sunlight streaming in through the window.

It was all there, as sharp in Ali's mind as it was on the canvas. She almost can't wrap her mind around it, the care and quiet intimacy of the gesture overwhelming her. She doesn't realize how long she's been silent until Ashlyn sighs self-consciously.

"Shit, is it— was that too much? You don't have to keep it, I—"

The next thing she knows, Ali has an arm thrown around her neck, the frame tucked in her other arm between them, forehead pressed into the side of Ashlyn's neck. The tears in Ali's eyes dampen Ashlyn's collarbone and once the initial shock of the contact fades, Ashlyn brackets an arm across the small of Ali's back. The tension in Ashlyn's body fades, and she relaxes into the embrace, even as the edges of the frame poke her uncomfortably.

Even though they are alone in the kitchen, Ashlyn barely hears Ali's whisper.

"This is... the most precious thing I've ever gotten."

Ali finally releases her, putting a little distance between them as she looks down at the canvas one more time, swiping at her eyes. She reaches out to carefully set the frame on the counter behind Ashlyn, forgetting how the simple gesture will again bring them so close to each other that she momentarily forgets how to breathe.

She steps back, and she doesn't know how, but this time Ashlyn is so, so much closer. A week's worth of tension reaches its boiling point in Ali's heart, and she feels like someone just injected fire into her veins. She looks up at the blonde.

"Ashlyn, I..." Ali trails off. Ashlyn swallows thickly, tongue coming out to swipe across her bottom lip, and she would have to be blind to miss the way Ali's eyes fall to her mouth.

Ashlyn has seen this play out on TV, in movies. She feels like it's almost too cliché to be happening here, in this kitchen (her _parents'_ kitchen), with this woman.

Even though she's so, so nervous, Ali knows that there's no way she's reading this wrong. Ashlyn's hands are behind her, a buffer between the edge of the granite countertop and the small of her back. Her stance is open, willing, inviting Ali to take the final step between them. So Ali does, tilting her head to the right, pressing herself into Ashlyn, her left hand finding the sharp line of Ashlyn's jaw as she tentatively presses their lips together.

It's soft, gentle at first, almost chaste. Even though Ali initiated this, Ashlyn's still afraid to stop white-knuckling the countertop, still afraid the slightest move will break this spell.

She snaps out of it when she feels Ali tense slightly, just moving to step back from her, hand just beginning to drop from its place at her jaw. Ashlyn's right hand finds the curve of Ali's waist, gripping at fabric and muscle, her left hand cupping the back of Ali's neck and pulling her flush against her.

Ali inhales sharply through her nose, holding her breath a moment, and the tiny whimper that follows makes heat pool in Ashlyn's stomach. Ali's right hand scrambles for something, anything to hold on to, to ground her. She clutches at the front of Ashlyn's shirt, and Ashlyn groans when she feels Ali's fingers skim her abs, even through fabric.

Ashlyn is the one to break the kiss, sucking in a breath and leaning back in to trail kisses up Ali's jaw. Ali is having none of it though, tugging gently on Ashlyn's hair until she can get back to her lips.

Ashlyn has just barely caught Ali's bottom lip between her teeth when the sound of a door opening makes them break the kiss abruptly, their heads spinning toward the sound, though Ashlyn doesn't relinquish her hold on Ali's waist.

"Alex, honey?" Deb calls out into the house.

"Yeah?" Ali answers a little too quickly, her voice breaking just enough that she squints her eyes shut in embarrassment.

"Can you bring more napkins when you come back out?"

"Yeah, in a minute!"

The door shuts again, and they both sigh. Ali loosens her grip on Ashlyn's shirt, uselessly trying to smooth out the now obvious wrinkles. Ashlyn stops her, takes her hand between both of hers and holds it to her chest.

Ali shows no signs of being uncomfortable, but Ashlyn squeezes her hand and asks anyway.

"You okay?"

Ali nods.

"I’ve, uh—" she takes another deep breath, blows it out, still trying to slow her racing heart, "honestly, I've been wanting to do that since the parki—"

"Since the parking structure," Ashlyn finishes for her. "Me too."

Ali breaks out in a grin, eyes twinkling, but a few moments later, Ashlyn notices it falter slightly. She suddenly becomes serious, and Ali has to break eye contact with her, looking down toward their feet.

"Hey," she whispers, ducking her head slightly and bringing a finger to Ali's chin, nudging until Ali will look at her again, "what’s wrong?"

Ali's mouth moves silently, like she's trying to find the right words or the courage to say them, before she finally gives up and turns her head, and Ashlyn follows her gaze as she looks out the bay window toward where her daughter swings on the brand new playset Deb and Ken had bought her.

"Is... is this about her? Or about me?" Ashlyn asks gently, no hint of accusation. Ali looks back at Ashlyn, but before she has a chance to say anything, Ashlyn presses on, jumping into the deep end.

"Because I— I love Molly," she confesses. "She's such a great kid, Al. And I really like her and I really, really like you. So don't... worry about that. If that's what you're worried about?"

Ali sees the honesty, sincerity in Ashlyn's eyes and she knows.

She leans in, free hand tender on Ashlyn's cheek, and kisses her once more.

"I’m not anymore."

 

* * *

 

A couple of hours later, the guests have all filtered out. Ali and Ashlyn are taking some streamers down from around the back porch when Molly shuffles out onto the deck.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, sweet girl?"

Molly rubs at her eyes. "I'm sleepy."

Ali lifts her onto her hip, kissing her forehead. "I bet you are, baby. You had a big day."

"Why don't you go bathe her," Ashlyn speaks up, "and I'll finish helping your mom and dad clean up."

Ali's about to protest, tell her that it's totally unnecessary, but the truth is she's not ready for Ashlyn to leave, so she'll do anything to keep her here as long as possible.

So she nods, heading inside and up the stairs as Ashlyn rejoins Ken and Deb in the backyard.

"So, Ashlyn," Ken starts, "Alex tells me you're quite the artist..."

 

* * *

 

The trash has been bagged, the backyard returned to normal by the time two sets of feet are heard coming down the stairs. Ken's retired for the evening, and Ashlyn and Deb are sitting on the couch, looking at baby pictures of Ali and Molly, who are the spitting image of each other.

Molly walks in first, in new pink PJs from Ken and Deb, and to Ashlyn's delight, she's clutching the stuffed unicorn ("Bubbles", apparently) that Ashlyn had given her under her arm.

"Hey there, Bubbles!" Ashlyn greets, and even though Molly still looks exhausted, she giggles, waving the unicorn around in the air.

Ali's not far behind, having changed into soft, worn jeans and a t-shirt. "She wants to watch Tangled with us before bedtime," she announces, walking over next to Ashlyn. Ashlyn reaches for her keys, and she's about to start thanking them for a great day when Ali stops her with a hand on top of hers.

"Ashlyn," she says, "You too."

"Please, Ashy?" Then Molly delivers the knockout punch: she sticks out her bottom lip.

Ashlyn realizes then and there that she's going to have a hard time ever saying no to that face.

"Tangled is my favorite," she says, sending a wink in Molly's direction.

Molly insists on sitting between Ali and Ashlyn on the small loveseat, and Ashlyn rationalizes that it would be the most comfortable thing for all of them if she rested her arm across the back of the couch.

She catches Ali smirking out of the corner of her eye. _Real subtle_. 

As expected, Molly is fast asleep no more than 15 minutes into the movie, snuggled into Ali's side, one small foot making its way into Ashlyn's lap. Deb walks back through the living room a few minutes later.

"Want me to take her up to bed, Alex?"

Ali knows her mom well enough to know the real reason she's offering. She sends her a grateful smile. "That'd be great, mom. Thanks."

Deb scoops Molly and Bubbles up, shifting them until her grip is secure.

"It was really nice to meet you, Ashlyn," Deb whispers, smiling. "You're welcome back any time you want."

Ashlyn grins, nodding, and Deb heads up the stairs. Once her footsteps have faded away, Ali lolls her head to the side, smiling over at Ashlyn and taking her hand before a yawn gets the better of her.

"Guess Molly's not the only one who had a big day," Ashlyn teases.

Ali glares at her.

"Honestly, though, as much as I don't want today to be over, I should head back. It's late and we're both tired."

Ali's glare melts into a pout, bottom lip and all.

"Ohhhh, no. I can only be susceptible to one Krieger Pout at a time, so if you feel comfortable ousting a 4-year-old, we'll talk. But otherwise, put that away."

Ali can't keep a straight face anymore, laughing as she stands, taking Ashlyn by the hand and helping her up.

"Come on, I'll walk you out."

After finally accepting Ali's offer of a couple of containers of leftovers, Ashlyn brings them out to her Jeep and returns to meet Ali on the front porch.

The front door is still slightly ajar, and they hear the faint sounds of Deb cleaning dishes in the kitchen sink. Satisfied that she's not eavesdropping or spying, Ali closes the gap between her and Ashlyn, pushing up a little on her toes to wrap her arms around the blonde's neck.

"Thanks again for coming today, Ash," she says, her breath warm on the shell of Ashlyn's ear. "You made Mol's whole day. And mine."

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world."

Ali leans back, looking up at the sweet, goofy grin on the blonde's face.

"What?" she asks on a laugh.

"Can I kiss you again?"

Ali smiles softly, pulling Ashlyn down toward her. The dark of the evening emboldens her, and she playfully strokes her tongue into Ashlyn's mouth, relishing the moan the move causes and the way Ashlyn sticks the tips of her fingers into the back pocket of Ali's jeans.

"Can your parents babysit Friday night?" Ashlyn asks breathlessly after they part, lips brushing Ali's with every word. "I'm taking you on a real first date."

She feels Ali smile and nuzzle her nose against hers tenderly.

"I'll make sure they clear their schedule."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was previously posted as part of [wherever you go (go with all your heart)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6465613).


	3. iii.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's first date time...

Ashlyn is 100% positive that she's never been this nervous in her entire life.

Not when she packed up her car and drove away from everything she knew.

Not when she heard the sharp buzzing of a tattoo gun for the first time.

Not when she submitted her first piece for a professional art show.

None of that compared to this.

Nothing compared to walking up to Ali's door to take her on their first date.

She was so nervous that she had even changed her outfit at least five times, finally settling on a charcoal button-up with black pants and matching skinny tie.

She needs a few deep breaths to calm herself before she can knock.

A few moments later, Deb opens the door.

"Ashlyn! Oh, honey, good to see you again," Deb says happily. "Alex, Ashlyn's here!"

"Okay, one sec!" she hears Ali's voice call out from somewhere.

Deb excuses herself to go check on dinner in the kitchen as Ashlyn hears quick footfalls in the carpeted hallway upstairs. Judging by the short strides, she's not surprised when Ali isn't the one that appears. Molly, already in her pajamas, flies down the stairs as Ashlyn squats down at the bottom with her arms open.

"Ashy!" Molly says as she hugs her.

"Hey Mol!"

"Where are you and Mommy going?" she asks, reaching out and taking Ashlyn's tie in her hand. "You look really pretty!"

Ashlyn chuckles. "Thanks, kiddo. But I bet your mommy looks like the prettiest girl in the world right now. Well, after you, of course!" she says with a wink, to Molly's delight. "She _does_  look pretty, right, Molly?" Ashlyn says conspiratorially, voice low.

Molly nods. "She put a really pretty dress on," she stage whispers.

"Molly, tell Ashlyn bye and go wash your hands!" Deb calls from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!"

Molly pouts, but hugs Ashlyn anyway.

To make her feel better, Ashlyn says, "Hey, don't worry. Sometime soon, we'll go someplace fun and you can come with your mommy and I, okay?"

Molly gives her a megawatt smile.

"Molly, what did Grandma say?"

Both Ashlyn and Molly's heads turn toward the voice at the top of the stairs. Molly runs off towards the bathroom, but Ashlyn is frozen to the spot.

Ali's walking down the stairs in a light turquoise dress, a flowy, flirty little thing that barely brushes the tops of her knees. When she sees Ashlyn, she's grateful she picked the black wedges and clutch that match Ashlyn’s pants and tie.

As Ali makes it to the bottom, Ashlyn says the only thing on her mind. "Wow."

Ali's cheeks pink and she smiles shyly. "You don't look so bad yourself," she murmurs, running a hand along Ashlyn's collar. "Ready?"

Ashlyn just nods, overcome with nerves again. She discreetly runs her clammy palms down the sides of her pants when Ali walks over to the kitchen door.

"Okay, we're going. Molly, listen to Grandma. Bed by 8:00, you understand?"

Molly must nod, because Ali says, "Good girl," followed by a smacking, kissy sound. "Love you, baby."

"Have a good night, girls!" Ashlyn hears Deb say as they head out the door.

Ashlyn holds out her arm for Ali, who takes it as they walk down the porch steps and over to Ashlyn's car. Ashlyn lets go of Ali then, quickly walking the last few steps to beat her to the door. She opens it and helps Ali into the passenger seat before jogging around the car and climbing into her own seat moments later. Ashlyn tries to stick the key into the ignition four times before she realizes her hands are shaking. She starts the engine and grips the steering wheel a little tighter than she normally would when Ali finally says something.

"Ash... are you okay?"

Ashlyn lets out a shaky breath, almost a laugh. "Yeah," she says, "just... nervous."

Ali’s heart melts a little. With the way Ashlyn looks, tall and tattooed, strong and confident, one wouldn't expect her to be like this. Ali can't put her finger on it, but something tells her the fact that she gets to see this Ashlyn, too — vulnerable, soft, impossibly sweet — is something pretty special.

She reaches out and puts a warm hand on Ashlyn's thigh.

"Don't be," she says softly, "we're gonna have a great time."

She punctuates it with quick kiss to the corner of Ashlyn’s mouth.

 

* * *

 

" _Filomena_?!" Ali gasps as they pull up to the valet stand.

"Do you not like Italian? We can go somewhere else—"

"No, Ashlyn, this is amazing!" Ali says, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I heard the food here is incredible."

Ashlyn gives her name to the maître d', and she's thankful when they're given a table in a quieter corner of the restaurant. Ali opens the menu and almost pulls Ashlyn right back up out of her chair when she sees the prices on the menu.

"Ali, stop," Ashlyn insists after the third or fourth time she asks Ashlyn if she's sure. "I met a beautiful, intelligent, charming woman a few weeks ago and for some crazy reason, she agreed to go on a date with me." She sends a wink in Ali's direction, a little smirk on her face, dimple showing.

"Let me treat you, please?"

Ali's smile blossoms until her nose crinkles.

To prove her point, the first thing Ashlyn orders is an expensive bottle of red for them to share, along with some bruschetta for an appetizer.

She almost chokes on a chunk of tomato when she feels a foot slide up the inside of her calf.

Even though Ali's taking a sip of her wine, there's no mistaking her smug grin.  _Devil woman_.

They're halfway through their entrees when Ashlyn finally musters up the courage to ask Ali the question that's been on her mind for the past couple of weeks.

"So, um," she starts, "if you don't want to talk about it, please don't feel like you have to... but what happened with Molly's dad?"

Ali's forkful of food stops halfway to her mouth. Ashlyn immediately squeezes her eyes shut and sighs.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up. We're here having a nice time and—"

"Ashlyn, it's okay."

"But—"

"Ashlyn," Ali says, "it's really okay. It's just... not something I talk about often. But I want you to know."

Ali picks up her wine glass, taking a slightly longer sip. She takes a deep breath, sighs, steels herself, and Ashlyn's about to apologize and attempt to stop her again when Ali starts to speak.

"It was college," she says quietly, not meeting Ashlyn's eyes, pushing the remnants of her veal marsala around with her fork. "I had been drinking, and it..." she trails off.

Ashlyn feels like she might throw up.

Ali sees Ashlyn's grip on her knife tighten and senses where her mind is going. She quickly puts her fork down and covers Ashlyn's hand with her own.

"No, Ashlyn, _no_. He didn't— it wasn't... that."

Ashlyn sighs and puts her fork down, covering Ali's hand with her other one in silent encouragement, thankful that there's no one at the surrounding tables.

"It was consensual, I just... wasn't thinking. I was young and stupid and it was a huge mistake. When I found out I was pregnant, I cried for days. I was so scared that I didn't tell my parents, I certainly didn't tell _him_... the semester was almost over, so I just finished and I dropped out. I called my brother and asked him if I could crash with him for a while. He was the one that actually took me to my first appointment."

Thinking of her brother brings a small smile to Ali's face, and Ashlyn squeezes her hand.

"The minute I saw her, Ash..." Ali sighs, and Ashlyn can see the tears brimming, "the second I saw that grainy little thing, heard her heartbeat? Nothing else mattered. No matter what else I did in life, the most important thing I was ever going to do was be her mother."

Tears are rolling down Ali's cheeks now, and Ashlyn reaches out to wipe them away with her thumb.

"You’re the most amazing woman I've ever met, Alex."

Ashlyn's eyes are soft, somehow greener in the candlelight and for the first time, Ali realizes that she's falling hard and fast for this woman.

This sweet, sweet woman.

Ashlyn orders them tiramisu for dessert, and Ali nurses one more glass of chianti until her chest is pleasantly warm. She only weakly protests when Ashlyn scoops the bill up almost as soon as the waiter sets it down.

As they walk out of the restaurant, Ali's not sure if it's the wine or Ashlyn's hand on her lower back that's making her lightheaded.

The valet pulls the car around, and once they're settled and buckled in, Ashlyn puts the Jeep in gear and smiles, reaching for Ali's hand as she pulls out onto the freeway.

"There’s one more place I want to take you."

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn pulls into a parking garage about 10 minutes later. After helping her down, she doesn't let go of Ali's hand as she leads her out onto the street, into the balmy evening. It doesn't take Ali long to figure out where they’re going.

"This is one of my favorite places," she says, leaning into Ashlyn's side as the Lincoln Memorial comes into view.

Ashlyn doesn't say anything, just presses a kiss to Ali’s temple as they head down the steps toward the Reflecting Pool in silence.

The area around the water is relatively quiet for a Friday night, so they find a bench to sit on, and even though the night is warm, Ali tucks herself into Ashlyn’s side, resting her head on her shoulder. Ashlyn puts her arm around her, squeezing her close. When they've been huddled together for a few more minutes and Ashlyn still hasn't said anything, Ali gets a little anxious.

"You're being awfully quiet," she observes.

"I'm terrified."

Ali lifts her head up and turns to look at her, concerned.

"Ashlyn, why?"

Ashlyn can't bring herself to look Ali in the eye, so she keeps her gaze on the rippling water in front of them.

"I... I really like you," she says. "More than I've liked anyone in a long time. And when I met you on the plane, I just tried to have fun because I didn't think I'd ever get to see you and Molly again. But then a week later, there I am at her birthday party and then you and I... we kissed and I knew this wasn't just casual or one-sided."

Ali takes her hand then, giving it a gentle squeeze and rubbing her thumb over her knuckles. "Definitely not one-sided," she assures, trying to calm Ashlyn's nerves.

The sides of Ashlyn's mouth raise slightly. She finally turns to meet Ali's eyes.

"I am having an incredible time with you, and I just don't want to mess this up. I'm not the easiest person to be with. And I'm scared because if I mess up, it's not just you I'm hurting. It's Molly, too. And hurting either one of you is the last thing I want to do."

"Ashlyn," Ali soothes, putting her hand on Ashlyn's cheek, "we're going to be fine. Everything's going to be just fine."

"You don't know that."

"You're right, I don't," Ali admits. “But I do know that even though we've only known each other a couple of weeks, I can already tell you have the biggest, most beautiful heart. And I can't imagine someone like you ever doing anything to intentionally hurt me or Molly."

Ashlyn brings her hand up to cover Ali's on her cheek.

"You have a whole lot of faith, Alexandra."

She crinkles her nose at the use of her full name.

"'Let your faith be bigger than your fear', right?" Ali says, bringing her hand down. "I'm scared too, though," she adds quietly.

Ashlyn tilts her head in an invitation for her to continue.

"I haven't felt this way about anyone before," she murmurs, "And this has all been a bit of a whirlwind and I haven't— it's been a long time since I've been serious with anyone, especially since Molly came and I'm—"

"Alex."

Ali stops her rambling at Ashlyn’s use of her nickname.

"Let's figure it all out together, okay?"

Ali nods, and Ashlyn leans in and kisses her sweetly, resting their foreheads together after.

"I'd really like for you to be my girlfriend," Ali whispers.

She hears Ashlyn's quiet, relieved chuckle.

"You're so cute," Ashlyn mumbles.

"So... is that a yes?"

Ashlyn kisses her. "That's a yes," she says before she feels Ali's fingers wrap around her tie, tugging gently so she can kiss Ashlyn again, longer, slower.

She smiles against Ashlyn's mouth. "Really?"

Ashlyn laughs.

"Did you really think I was going to say no?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one was a little shorter! i'm not sure what will come next for them, but we'll see what happens next time inspiration strikes! :) if there's anything y'all would like to see happen, let me know and i'll see what i can do. thanks again for reading.


	4. iv.

 

It's late afternoon when Ashlyn's phone rings. She brightens when she sees the picture of Ali and Molly pop up on her phone. The last time she'd seen Ali, she'd looked tired, run-down and fatigued. They had gone to a movie and Ali seemed almost distracted, as if her heart wasn't in the time they were spending together. Ashlyn was getting a little worried over the past few days. Her texts to Ali were taking longer than normal to be answered, and the brunette's responses, while not unfriendly, were short. She self-consciously panicked, thinking that Ali was having second thoughts. But the fact that Ali was reaching out to her now eased her mind greatly.

"Hey, Al!" she says brightly.

"Ashlyn? It's Deb."

Ashlyn's blood runs cold. Ali's mom calling her from Ali's phone? "Is everything okay? Are Ali and Molly—"

"They're fine, honey. Well, sort of."

"What's wrong?"

"If you have the evening free, I could use your help."

Ashlyn's already tugging a shirt on over her sports bra, not even bothering to change out of the sweatpants she was lounging around her apartment in.

"Of course, what can I do?"

"Alex is really sick," Deb says, and everything makes sense to Ashlyn now. "I need to go out and get her some soup and some more medicine, and poor Molly is going crazy cooped up in the house. Do you think you can come keep an eye on Alex while we go out?"

"I'll be there in 15 minutes."

"You're so sweet, Ashlyn. See you soon."

 

* * *

 

"Thank you so much," is the first thing Deb says as she opens the front door for Ashlyn, wrapping her in a hug.

"I didn't even know she was sick. She didn't even tell me," Ashlyn says dejectedly.

"You probably haven't seen her stubborn streak yet," Deb laughs, picking up her keys. "Honestly, she probably just didn't want you to see her so sick. But she'll get over it. Okay, I have Molly strapped in her seat in the car already. We shouldn't be too long. Ken's out at Costco, he should be back soon, too. If she gives you grief—"

"Don't worry, Deb," Ashlyn chuckles. "I can handle her."

Deb snorts. "Good luck, honey."

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn gently pushes the door to Ali's bedroom open. The late evening sun casts an orange glow in the room, the trees outside throwing shadows across a sleeping Ali's face. Or at least Ashlyn thinks she's asleep.

"Mom, did you br—" she stops immediately when she cracks one eye open and sees her girlfriend standing in her bedroom.

"Noooo, no, no," Ali says weakly, pulling the covers up to her eyes.

"Ali, don't be silly."

"You need... to go," Ali says, muffled through the comforter. "I'm gonna... get... you sick."

"I'm not worried about that."

"I'm gross," Ali whines. "Please."

"Alex," Ashlyn says gently, kneeling down at the side of the bed so they're at the same eye level, "forget about all that. Just be honest. Do you want me to go, or can I stay?"

As much as Ali doesn't want Ashlyn to see her at her worst, and as much as she doesn't want to make her sick, she wants her comfort more.

"Stay," she croaks out. "Please."

Ali shifts on the bed, grimacing as she scoots over to make room for Ashlyn. Ashlyn lifts the covers, sliding in next to her. She takes a couple of the extra pillows and props herself up against the headboard, holding her left arm out.

"C'mere," she murmurs.

Ali rolls over then, curling her body into Ashlyn's left side, wrapping an arm around her legs and laying her head in her lap. Ashlyn is so, so warm and her sweatpants are so, so soft, but it's almost unbearable for Ali, who is burning up, her fever leaving her trembling under the down comforter.

"There you go," Ashlyn says, running her fingers through the fine, sweaty hairs at Ali's temple.

"Where're my mom... and Molly?"

"Went to go pick you up some more meds and some hot soup. Molly needed to get out of the house anyway. I told them I'd keep an eye on you."

Ali's only response is a pathetic whimper.

"Everything _hurts_ , Ash."

"I know, babe," Ashlyn coos. "I know."

Ali smiles at the term of endearment slipping out.

"Go to sleep. I'm right here."

Ali's only response is a weak squeeze on Ashlyn's thigh.

Her congested wheezing evens out a few minutes later.

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn doesn't realize that she's dozed off until she hears the door to Ali's bedroom open. Deb peeks in and gives her a small smile as she enters the room, carrying a brown paper bag and a steaming mug.

"How is she?"

Ashlyn places a hand against Ali's forehead and winces.

"Still really warm."

Deb sighs. "I hate to wake her up, but she needs to eat so she can take this medicine."

Ashlyn reaches down, rubbing a hand soothingly up and down Ali's back, the shirt damp with sweat. After a few moments, Ali's forehead scrunches up and she lets out another sad little whimper.

"Shhhh," Ashlyn soothes, "Alex, we need you to wake up."

Ali just tightens her hold around Ashlyn's legs.

"Your mom brought soup."

Ali groans again, but releases her grip on Ashlyn's legs, rolling onto her back.

"Here, I'll help you sit up. Put your arms around my neck."

Ashlyn leans down and Ali gingerly wraps her arms around her, and Deb puts some more pillows against the headboard as Ashlyn sits Ali up. Her heart breaks as she gazes at Ali. Her face is flushed and clammy, eyes blood-shot and droopy. She looks at her sympathetically.

"I’m sorry."

Ali's mouth barely twitches, but Ashlyn can tell it was an attempt at a smile.

"Okay, honey," Deb says, holding a bowl of soup, "try to eat some of this. Then I'll get your medicine and we'll get you back to sleep."

Ali nods, then looks back at Ashlyn.

"Can you help my dad keep Molly company?" she rasps.

Ashlyn smiles, leaning in to place a kiss on Ali's forehead.

"I would love to."

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn stands in the living room doorway and has to stifle a chuckle.

" _No_ , grandpa, that's Snow White!"

Ken is bent over, looking in the cabinet under the TV for the right DVD.

And he seems to be failing _miserably_.

He holds another case up in the air.

" _No_ , that's Ariel! I want Belle, please!"

Ashlyn decides to end his suffering.

"Need a hand there, Ken?"

"Ashy, please help!" Molly says dramatically. "He can’t find Belle!"

"Yes, Ashlyn, please help," Ken grumbles, picking his head up.

Ashlyn easily finds _Beauty & the Beast_ (because the DVD collection is alphabetized and she has a hard time believing that Ali wasn't responsible). She turns around, holding it triumphantly in the air.

"Yes!" Molly claps.

"Thank God," Ken breathes.

Ashlyn laughs. "Do you need a break?" she asks as she puts the DVD in. "Deb is upstairs with Ali and I can hang out with Molly."

"I think Deb would appreciate it if I cleaned the kitchen."

"Then I'm happy to be on princess duty," she smiles.

"Ashyyyy, come on!" Molly whines impatiently from the sofa, Bubbles under one arm. "I want to watch Belle, please."

"One tale as old as time, coming right up!"

 

* * *

 

"Alex, can I ask you something?"

Ali freezes, spoonful of soup in her mouth.

"Nothing great comes after those words," she says, voice a little stronger after the hot soup has soothed her throat.

"It's not bad," Deb sighs. "I just… I wanted to ask you about Ashlyn."

"What about her?" Ali asks cautiously.

"Are you in love with her?"

" _Mom_!"

"What, it's a simple question!"

Ali is silent.

"Honey, it's only been, what, a month?"

"I know," Ali sighs. "It's been so quick. But... I— I think I might be? Or at least I feel like I will be."

Ali either doesn't want to or isn't ready to admit it, but Deb can already tell, can already see the flickers of it in Ali's eyes when she talks about the blonde.

"I'm not trying to pressure you," Deb reassures. "I like Ashlyn, Alex. She's sweet and it's obvious to anyone that sees you two together that she cares about you. I'm just... I'm worried about Molly."

Ali furrows her eyebrows.

"I just don't want something to happen, and then Ashlyn's gone and that little girl will be devastated. If you don't think this is serious—"

"I've never felt like this about anyone. She's... this is different. I'm serious about her, mom. I am."

“Dating a single parent isn't easy."

"I know," Ali sighs. "But she loves Molly. And I'm going to do everything I can to be the best mom and the best girlfriend I can be."

Deb nods, seemingly satisfied.

"Just... be smart, but don't be afraid," she adds. "When you know, you know."

Ali manages a weak smile.

"Now, here. Medicine. Then we'll get you some new clothes, and back to sleep."

 

* * *

 

The movie has been playing for about an hour, and Ashlyn's grateful that Molly has finally settled. She animatedly acted out the opening number, shouting "Bonjour!" increasingly louder until Ashlyn had to shush her through a chuckle. Then she insisted on sitting in Ashlyn's lap, reclining against her like a La-Z-Boy when Ashlyn propped her feet up on the ottoman. Ashlyn could tell that sleep was beginning to claw at her, though, when she yawned and looked up at Ashlyn with big eyes and said, "Lay down, please."

They're laying there now, Molly feeling more and more like dead weight on Ashlyn's chest. The only sign that she's still awake comes when the first notes of her favorite song float through the air, and Ashlyn feels her let out a sigh.

"Love this song, Ashy," she mumbles, voice slow and soft and right on the edge of sleep.

"Me too."

At the top of a grand staircase, Belle and the Beast bow to each other, and Ashlyn starts to quietly sing along with Mrs. Potts as she hugs Molly a little tighter to her, reaching up to play with errant brown curls.

A few minutes later, the song fades out, and as everything goes quiet, a little snore lets her know that sleep has finally gotten the better of Molly.

"You're really great with her."

Ashlyn barely flinches at Ken’s voice. She's not sure when he came back in the room, how long he's been standing and watching them, but there he is, his hands resting on the back of the sofa she's stretched out on.

Ashlyn gives him a tender smile.

"She makes it easy," she says softly, honestly.

"Can I?" he asks, gesturing down to the sofa.

Ashlyn goes to tuck her feet in to free up a cushion for him to sit on, but he waves her off, settling on the plush arm of the couch. Ashlyn is suddenly a bundle of nerves, knowing what's probably about to transpire. She's so nervous that she starts for him.

"Ken, I care about them. So much. And I promise that I'll do—"

He holds his hand up, cutting her off.

"Ashlyn, trust me. I know. I can tell."

His words calm Ashlyn's mind and heart, and she lets out a sigh of relief.

"I just worry about Alex," he says. "She hasn't been in a serious relationship in a long time. I don't think she really remembers how to care for anyone except Molly, including herself. She's a mom, before anything else."

Ashlyn nods, and Molly stirs against her, makes a little noise in her sleep. Ashlyn rubs her back, hushing her until she stills again.

"I don't doubt your good intentions with Alex, Ashlyn," Ken continues. "Just be patient with her. A single mom is a special person that needs a special kind of support. But I can tell, she's... she's very smitten with you. And I just want you both to take your time and to be careful with each other, that's all. Because she looks at you like you hung the moon." He nods to the sleeping girl on Ashlyn's chest. "They both do."

Ashlyn barely manages to keep her eyes from filling up, the sudden rush of emotion almost too much.

"The feeling is mutual."

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn wakes up to a gentle hand on her arm.

"Ashlyn, honey."

She opens her eyes and sees Deb hovering over her, the _Beauty & the Beast_ DVD menu looping in the background.

"Alex is asking for you," she says. "I'll go tuck this one into bed."

Ashlyn nods, unwinding her arms from around Molly so Deb can lift her up. She follows Deb up the stairs, taking a right toward Ali's room while Deb goes left.

"Goodnight, Ashlyn. Thank you for coming today."

"Always," Ashlyn says. "Night, Deb."

Ashlyn knocks quietly on Ali's door, pushing it all the way open after she hears "Come in."

Even in the low light of the bedside lamp, Ali looks better, Ashlyn notes. She's sitting up against the headboard, and it's obvious that Deb helped her shower, her hair washed and pulled back into a French braid. She smiles when she sees Ashlyn.

"How's my girl?"

"Great. Sleepy," Ashlyn says. "Molly's good, too," she adds cheekily as she sits on the bed near Ali's knees.

Ali rolls her eyes. Ashlyn puts a hand on her knee and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"You look like you feel a little better."

Ali nods. "A little."

"Do you need me to do anything for you before I go?"

Ali's face visibly falls.

"What's the matter?" Ashlyn asks.

Ali starts to fidget with the edge of the blanket.

"Actually, I..." she starts, "I was hoping... will you stay?"

Ashlyn is sure that, if Ali's cheeks weren't already rosy from the fever, the color would be rising to them.

"You want me to stay?" she asks dumbly.

"If you're uncomfortable, you don't hav—"

"No!" Ashlyn says a little too forcefully. "I would love to. I just... didn't expect that, that's all." She takes one of Ali's hands in her own. "Honestly, I would feel a lot better being able to keep an eye on you overnight, anyway."

Ali wants nothing more than to kiss her, but she settles for the next best thing and presses her lips to the back of Ashlyn's hand. She turns the lamp off and buries herself under the covers, holding up the edge for Ashlyn to crawl in next to her. As soon as Ashlyn seems like she's settled, Ali moves and cuddles up to her, resting her head on Ashlyn's chest, putting an arm around her waist and tucking one of her legs between Ashlyn's.

"Is this okay?"

Ashlyn kisses her forehead, relieved to find that, while still warm to the touch, Ali's skin has obviously cooled.

"More than."

They lay there in silence for a few minutes, Ashlyn's nails lightly running up and down Ali's spine. Ashlyn is convinced Ali's fallen off to sleep until she murmurs quietly into Ashlyn's collarbone.

"She knows."

Confusion is written all over Ashlyn's face. But then she remembers that Ali can't see her because she has her nose tucked into Ashlyn's neck.

"Ashlyn?"

"Who knows what?"

"My mom, she knows... about us."

"I didn't know she... didn't know?" Ashlyn says slowly. "We haven't exactly been subtle. Or hidden anything from her."

"I mean... I think she knew but I don't think she knew that I knew she knew.”

"Wha— is this _Friends_?!"

"I mean, I told her how much I— cared about you."

Ashlyn chuckles.

"What?"

"I think your parents gave us each 'the talk'."

"What?!"

"Your dad. He—" she smiles. "He cares about you, that's all."

Whatever reply Ali had is lost to a coughing fit. Ashlyn pats her back until it's over, pulling her closer once she's settled.

"You okay?"

Ali nods. "This is not how I imagined our first night in the same bed going."

Ashlyn smirks.

"You imagined our first night sleeping together?"

She yelps as the tender skin at her waist is pinched.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, let me know what you think, if you're so inclined. happy monday! :)


	5. v.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> longest chapter so far! mind the rating change. :)

  
Ashlyn is standing on the curb outside her apartment building, afternoon sun bright and high when Ali's car pulls up. The back window rolls down, and Ashlyn ducks her head to see inside.

"Ashy, in! We're going to the zoo!"

"Really?!"

"Yes, Mommy said so!"

"Awesome, kiddo!" She slides into the passenger seat, reaching back to high-five Molly once she shuts the door. She buckles up and finally turns to Ali.

"Hi," Ali says softly, eyes twinkling.

"Hey," Ashlyn smiles, giving Ali a quick peck on the lips. "Please tell me she's not lying. Are we really going to the zoo?"

Ali laughs, nodding. "Yes, we're really going to the zoo."

Ashlyn does a little fist pump. _She looks so good today_ , Ali thinks. Tight jeans, a colorful plaid button-up rolled to her elbows, and her hair is pulled back into a ponytail. _How does she make something so simple look so_ good _?_

"Do they have unicorns like Bubbles at the zoo?" Molly asks as they pull out onto the freeway.

"Probably not, baby," Ali says gently.

"But there are lions and tigers!" Ashlyn says.

"And bears?" Ali deadpans.

Ashlyn rolls her eyes.

Ali pulls into a parking spot on the south side of the zoo 15 minutes later, popping the trunk so Ashlyn can get Molly's stroller. As much energy as her 4-year-old has, Ali knows it'll come out in bursts, Molly will get tired, and she's getting far too big for Ali to carry her for long periods of time.

Ali's about to open the stroller and tell Molly to hop in when Ashlyn pipes up.

"Piggy back ride?"

"Yes!"

 

* * *

 

After Ashlyn pays their admission at the gate, she grabs a map of the zoo and crouches down next to Molly, putting her arm around her and holding the map in front of them with both hands.

"Okay, now you have to help Mommy and I decide where to go first. If we go this way," she says, pointing to a green area of the map, "this is where the lions and the tigers and the monkeys are. But over here," a purple area, "there are elephants and bears and some otters."

"Can we go see the monkeys?"

"I think that's an excellent place to start. Al?"

Ali looks up from Molly's stroller, which she's opened, sitting their small cooler bag with snacks in the seat and attempting to shove her purse underneath.

"Hmm?"

"This little monkey wants to start at the monkeys."

"Then it sounds like we're starting at the monkeys!" she says. She looks at Molly and points down the trail in front of them. "Go ahead, lead the way. But stay close! You get too far ahead and you have to ride in the stroller, understand?"

Molly nods, and Ali lets her get a handful of steps in front of them before she and Ashlyn start walking after her, thankful that they chose to come on a weekday and the zoo is relatively uncrowded. Ashlyn reaches over and takes Ali's hand, interlacing their fingers. Ali looks over at her and smiles, tugging a little on their joined hands until Ashlyn takes the hint and leans down for a kiss.

"I love this," Ashlyn says, both of them turning their attention back to Molly. "My parents never brought us— well, _anywhere_ as kids and I've always wanted to come. Just felt silly coming alone, I guess. So I'm glad I get to share this with the both of you."

Ali squeezes her hand. "I'm glad we get to share this with you, too."

Molly seems to be speeding up, her excitement getting the best of her, so Ali calls after her. "Molly! Too far!"

Molly stops and turns around. "Mommy! Too slow!" They're catching up to her when they notice Molly's expression change, her head tilting to the side a little.

Ashlyn snorts. _Definitely Ali's daughter_.

As they approach, Molly walks over to them, reaching out for their joined hands.

She pulls them apart.

 _Here it is_ , Ashlyn thinks. _The other shoe is dropping and this is it_. Dread pools in her stomach.

Ali looks horrified.

" _Molly_!"

Ali doesn't get a chance to say anything else before Molly simply inserts herself between them, taking Ali's hand in her left and Ashlyn's in her right. Ali's anger immediately fades once she realizes what's happening.

"What, Mommy?"

Ali squats down next to her and squeezes her hand. "Next time, can you ask nicely to hold our hands?"

Molly nods.

Ali kisses her on the forehead. "Thank you."

Above Molly's head, Ashlyn looks at Ali and breathes a quiet sigh of relief, swiping non-existent sweat from her forehead. Ali lets out a breathy chuckle.

"Okay," she says, "let's find those monkeys."

It's not easy pushing a stroller with one hand and holding a rambunctious 4-year-old with the other, but it's worth it.

 

* * *

 

A few hours later, and Ashlyn can't imagine there's much, if any, of the zoo they haven't seen. Her favorite had been the elephants, Ali's had been the big cats, and, to Ashlyn’s surprise, Molly had fallen in love with the otters.

"Look, Mommy! They're holding hands!" she'd squealed, pointing at two otters (Porkchop and Pickles, according to the attendant near the habitat) floating on their backs. After Ali had said, "I see that, baby!", she'd leaned over to Ashlyn, squeezing her hand and cheesily saying, "You're my otter." Ashlyn playfully rolled her eyes and tried to suppress a smile, but her dimple gave her away.

Their last stop of the day is the giraffe habitat, and Molly’s eyes get wide when she sees a little boy feeding a giraffe some crunchy leaves of lettuce.

"Mommy, can I please feed him, too? Please?" Molly pleads.

"Maybe, honey. Let's go see how much it costs."

"It's okay, Alex, I got it," Ashlyn says. "As long as it's okay with you," she adds quickly.

"It's fine with me, but you don't have to do that," Ali insists.

Ashlyn shrugs. "I enjoy spoiling people. It's my treat. Besides, how often is your kid gonna get the chance to feed a giraffe?"

Ali nods in agreement. "True. Okay, baby," she says, smiling, "go with Ashlyn, get the lettuce."

"Yessss!" Molly jumps in the air.

They walk up to the window and see the sign _FEED BONGO THE GIRAFFE, $5.00 FOR 3 PIECES OF LETTUCE_.

Ashlyn takes out her wallet and hands a $5 bill to Molly, who gleefully passes it off to the cashier, and they return to the feeding area with three crispy stalks.

Ashlyn's taller, so Ali lets her lift Molly up before handing her the first piece. The movement catches Bongo's eye and he walks over, tunnel vision on the treat. He cranes his neck out.

"Go ahead, kiddo. Easy," Ashlyn says gently as Molly holds the lettuce out in the air.

All of a sudden, Bongo sticks his long tongue out, wrapping it around the leaf and yanking it from Molly's hand.

Molly looks shocked, stunned for a moment, and Ali's wondering if she's about to cry when a smile breaks out on her face and she dissolves into belly-shaking giggles, silent laughter jiggling her body. Ali and Ashlyn can't help but join in, tickled by how amused the little girl is. Molly's nearly gotten herself under control when she holds out the second piece, only to dissolve back into giggles again once Bongo snatches that piece.

As Ashlyn hands Molly the last leaf, Ali takes her phone out. She snaps a picture of Ashlyn holding Molly up, big, bright smile on Ashlyn's face, Molly laughing as Bongo's tongue sticks out. It comes out so perfectly that Ali makes it her lock screen before stuffing her phone back in her pocket.

 

* * *

 

They hit the gift shop on the way out, the rows of stuffed animals and brightly colored shirts capturing Molly's attention. They're not in there for long when something seems to catch Ashlyn's eye, and she runs her hand down Ali's forearm. "I'll be right back," she says, and then she disappears around the corner.

Molly is walking around, Ali on her heels, looking at the endless displays of souvenirs when Ali hears her little voice.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"I love Ashy."

Ali feels like her chest may burst.

She opens her mouth to respond, but before she can say anything, Ashlyn returns with her hands hidden behind her back.

"Molly! Pick a hand," she says, shimmying her shoulders.

Molly's face scrunches in concentration before she points to Ashlyn's left side. "That one!"

Ashlyn produces a stuffed giraffe from behind her back.

"It's Bongo!" Molly squeaks, taking him from Ashlyn's hand and hugging him.

"So you can remember our trip to the zoo together and remember the day you got to feed a giraffe. Do you like him?"

"I love him!" Molly turns around and holds him up in the air. "Mommy, look what Ashy got me!"

"Wow!" Ali says. She looks up at Ashlyn, pure adoration in her eyes. Ashlyn just smiles back and winks at her.

"What do you say to Ashlyn, baby?"

"Thank you, Ashy," Molly says, wrapping her arms as best as she can around Ashlyn's legs, stuffed Bongo squished between them.

"Anytime, sweetheart," Ashlyn murmurs, running a hand through Molly’s hair. "Anytime."

 

* * *

 

"Ashy, my feet hurt," Molly says as they walk into Shake Shack for dinner. She pouts, her arms raised in the air.

"Honey, you're too heavy," Ali says.

"Nah, I got her," Ashlyn says, easily hoisting Molly onto her hip.

Ali is still looking at the menu and lamenting about how she can't decide between the SmokeShack and the 'Shroom Burger when it's their turn to order, so Ashlyn takes matters into her own hands.

"We'll have a SmokeShack, a 'Shroom Burger, an order of cheese fries, and a hot dog for the little lady here," she says, bouncing Molly once on her hip and making her giggle. She hands Molly her credit card to pass off to the cashier, which delights the little girl to no end.

"I still have to pick which one I'm gonna eat!" Ali whines as they go to sit.

Ashlyn shrugs. "You don't have to, we'll switch halfway through. Plus that means we'll have room for dessert!"

"Ugh, best girlfriend _ever_."

Once they've finished eating, Ashlyn heads back up to the cashier and comes back with a tray and both Ali and Molly's eyes get huge.

"One SMORSEcode for my favorite girls!"

There's a huge cup of chocolate custard, marshmallow cream topping nearly overflowing and graham cracker pieces sticking up out of it. Laying next to the cup on the tray are some extra graham crackers and a few jumbo marshmallows.

Ali looks at Ashlyn dreamily.

"Seriously? Best. girlfriend. _ever_."

 

* * *

 

Bellies full, they're not on the freeway five minutes when Ali looks in the rearview mirror and sees Molly passed out, a tiny bit of dried chocolate custard still on the corner of her mouth, a jumbo marshmallow sticky in her tiny fist and Bongo tucked under her arm.

"Sleeping?" Ashlyn asks, even as she looks into the mirror too.

"Like a rock," Ali confirms. "Thanks for the fun day, babe."

Ashlyn grins.

"Babe?"

"Hey, you called me babe while I was sick!" Ali says, thankful that the darkness of the late evening hides her blush. "Is there a double standard here?"

"No!" Ashlyn says, shaking her head. "I just didn't take you for a pet name person. But please, 'babe' me to death, babe."

Ali rolls her eyes as she reaches out and puts a hand on Ashlyn's thigh.

The next few minutes of the drive are quiet, Ashlyn humming along with the radio until she notices Ali turn left, the opposite direction from Ashlyn's apartment.

"Uh, Alex?"

"I, um—" Ali says, her eyes never leaving the road, "I was thinking we could drop Molly off at the house and then head back to your apartment? Have a little us time?"

Ashlyn's heart beats faster.

"Oh. Yeah."

 

* * *

 

"Sorry, I would have like... I don't know, vacuumed or something if I knew," Ashlyn says as they step into her apartment. Ali waves her off as they step through the short entryway and into the living room.

"Wow," Ali says, "Ash, I love this."

The walls of her apartment are white, but the furniture pieces and decor are subdued, all light greys and steely blues, like a cloudy day on the beach. Unsurprisingly, it's also like a mini art gallery, paintings and framed photographs adorning the walls.

"You did all these?" Ali says, voice filled with awe as she runs a finger against the bottom of one of the canvases, a large painting of waves crashing against the rocks at the base of a lighthouse.

Ashlyn rubs at the back of her neck, embarrassed. "It's a little narcissistic, but it's a lot less expensive than buying someone else's art. And I don't have to look for the perfect piece, I just... paint what I want."

"When Molly and I move into an apartment, will you paint something else for me?"

"You're moving out of the house?"

"Eventually. By the end of the year, I hope," Ali says, finally turning to face Ashlyn. "My parents have been... invaluable. I love them so much and I can never repay them for everything they've done for me. But I do want to start feeling like I'm living my own life again. You never answered my question."

"Huh?"

"Will you paint something for me?"

Ashlyn doesn't know how to respond, wondering how that's even a question Ali has to ask.

"Nah, I probably can't afford an Ashlyn Harris original," Ali jokes. "How much did your last piece go for, anyway? $500?"

"$1,750 actually, but I guess I could offer you a Friends & Family discount."

"$1,750?!"

"I do... okay?"

"I am dating a gorgeous, smart, sweet, successful artist," Ali drawls coquettishly, walking over to Ashlyn and wrapping her arms around her neck, pulling at Ashlyn's hair tie until blonde hair spills down her back. "You're not the only one 'doing okay'."

Ashlyn rewards her exaggerated praise with a kiss.

"Can I get you anything? Something to drink?"

"Wine?" Ali asks hopefully, eyebrows raising as she smiles, tongue poking out between her teeth.

"I only have beer," Ashlyn says sheepishly.

"Beer it is."

Ali toes off her shoes and tucks her legs under her on the deep, plush couch as Ashlyn disappears into the kitchen. A few clinks of glass on glass, and Ashlyn returns, two longnecks in her hand. She sits down on the couch, leaving no space between the two of them as she presses the bottle into Ali's hand.

"Thank you," Ali murmurs, pressing a quick kiss to the corner of Ashlyn's mouth. She takes a long sip of her beer as Ashlyn wraps her left arm around her shoulders. Ashlyn picks up the remote from the arm of the couch, clicking a few buttons until the Netflix menu comes up.

"Want to pick something?"

"Dealer's choice," Ali says, resting her right hand on Ashlyn's thigh.

Ashlyn's stomach flips.

She ends up picking _You've Got Mail_ , but they don't pay attention; Ashlyn ends up telling Ali about her huge crush on Meg Ryan ("It was 1993, and I saw _Sleepless in Seattle_ and I should have known back then..."), and by the time they're done debating which Tom Hanks movie is the best, the movie's more than half over and there are four empty beer bottles on the coffee table.

Ashlyn's still laughing about Ali's choice ("Okay, I know you have a kid and all, but _Toy Story_ is just not an acceptable answer, Alex.") when Ali sighs, linking her fingers with Ashlyn's near her shoulder. She turns her head and looks up at her.

"Today was a good day," Ali whispers, smiling.

Ashlyn smiles back, and Ali nuzzles at the dimple in her cheek, putting a warm palm against the side of her neck, her thumb stroking up the line of her jaw.

"Alex," Ashlyn breathes, and Ali pulls back to look at her. Ashlyn's eyes fall to her lips. "I want..."

Ashlyn's sentence trails off, but Ali knows. She tightens her grip on Ashlyn's neck, thumb brushing a sensitive spot under her ear that sends a shiver down Ashlyn's spine as she throws her leg across Ashlyn's lap.

Ali kisses Ashlyn fiercely, slipping her tongue into her mouth. Ashlyn tastes like beer and the cinnamon gum she'd been chewing earlier, and Ali's pulse pounds so loudly in her ears that she almost misses the desperate whimper that comes from the back of Ashlyn's throat.

Ali grinds her hips against her.

" _Shit_ ," Ashlyn hisses as she tries to catch her breath.

Ali smirks against the corner of her mouth, panting. "Too much?"

Ashlyn grabs her ass. "I don't think there's such a thing."

"Oh," Ali gasps, breath hot against Ashlyn's cheek. "You underestimate me."

Ashlyn squirms underneath her. To a degree, she knew Ali would be like this — eager, passionate, unbearably hot — she'd known since their first kiss in the kitchen. But Ali was right: she definitely underestimated her.

Ashlyn wants her so badly she aches.

Ashlyn reconnects their lips, her right hand finding its way under Ali's shirt. The pleasure of feeling the warm, soft skin of Ali's waist would have been enough for her, but the contact draws a quiet little moan from Ali and Ashlyn wants to hear it again and again, wants to draw every groan and whimper and gasp she can. She moves her hand higher, thumb brushing the underside of Ali's breast. Ali nips at her lip in response.

"Can I?" Ashlyn breathes.

Ali's answer is to reach down and pull her shirt off. A flutter of fabric, and Ashlyn is eye-level with white lace. She has to close her eyes for a second, has to remind herself to breathe, and when she opens them, Ali is staring at her, hair and eyes wild, and Ashlyn doesn't understand how she hasn't burst into flames.

" _God_ ," she groans, but before she can touch or taste, before she can do _anything_ , Ali is grinning wickedly, sliding off of her lap and laying down, pulling Ashlyn on top of her by two fistfuls of her shirt. Ashlyn touches her then, teeth grazing her pulse point as she covers Ali's breast with her hand and squeezes. Ali gasps at the combination, head falling back to give Ashlyn more room to work as her head swims. Ashlyn pinches and Ali's hips fly up, back arching as she desperately tries to get any kind of friction against the thigh pressed between hers.

"Off," she growls, scrabbling for the hem of Ashlyn's shirt, "fuck, Ash, _off_. _Now_."

Ashlyn doesn't need to be told twice.

She rises up, attempting to yank her shirt over her head. She finally succeeds after unbuttoning the top two buttons, and she groans when she unexpectedly feels Ali grab her hips, using them to pull herself up so she can plant an open-mouthed kiss against her abs. Ashlyn pushes her back down by her shoulders.

Ashlyn goes to lean back in, dive back into what she was doing, but the gentle scrape of Ali's nails down her left side stop her. She realizes then that Ali has finally seen the bright flowers that adorn her ribcage. She lets her take a few seconds to look, the pads of her fingers tracing the ink and leaving goosebumps in their wake, before taking Ali's hand and pressing it above her head, against the arm of the couch.

"Later," she whispers, and she feels Ali smile.

The lull doesn't last long. Ali squeezes her hand as she cranes her neck up to kiss Ashlyn again, and just like that, the fire in her belly is stoked again. Ashlyn presses Ali into the couch, abandoning her lips and trailing down her neck as their bare stomachs touch. Ashlyn hisses a little as Ali drags her nails down her back, digging in and undoubtedly leaving red marks behind. She moves lower, biting and sucking at the swell of Ali's breast, and Ali's hands go to her head, combing her fingers through golden strands.

Ashlyn is convinced she's left a deep purple mark, and Ali is tugging pleasantly at her hair, scratching her scalp as little hums of satisfaction leave her lips and Ashlyn has just come to the conclusion that this bra absolutely has to go—

Ali's phone starts blaring "It's Raining Men".

" _Fuck_!" Ashlyn screams, burying her face in Ali's neck. She runs her hands up Ali's sides, trying to wedge them under her back to get at the clasp of her bra. "Leave it," she begs.

Ali lifts herself up, and Ashlyn follows, sitting back and sighing in relief until she realizes Ali's actually reaching for the phone and not helping her get her bra off.

"It's Kyle, I need to—"

"Alex—"

"It might be important."

Ashlyn feels like crying. Ali ends up in her lap again, and Ashlyn puts her head on her shoulder in defeat.

"Stay with me," Ali murmurs against her temple. Ali answers, and even though Ashlyn can't make out the words, she can tell that Kyle sounds upset.

The mostly one-sided conversation drags on for nearly fifteen minutes, but Ali is patient, listening dutifully even as she still sits nearly half-naked in Ashlyn's lap. A combination of Ali's soft, sweet voice, their long day and the slight haze of alcohol start to lull Ashlyn to sleep, her eyes drooping even though her mind is screaming for her to stay in the moment.

"Ashlyn."

Ashlyn snaps out of her daze, lifting her head off Ali's shoulder to see that she's hung up, phone discarded back on the coffee table.

"How is he?"

Ali licks her lips.

"Better," she says quietly. "Ashlyn, I—"

"It's okay." Ashlyn brings Ali's wrist to her mouth, pressing a lazy kiss to the sensitive skin there, and Ali shudders.

"We could still..." Ali trails off.

"We could," Ashlyn agrees.

"Moment's gone, though, huh?"

Ashlyn laughs. "Moment's never gone with you. But I want..." she pauses, trying to find the right words. "I want to take my time. In a bed, preferably, and not groping you on the couch like a horny teenager. You deserve that much."

Ali takes Ashlyn's face in her hands and kisses her, languid and slow, and Ashlyn feels sated.

"Come on," Ali says, climbing off Ashlyn's lap and holding out her hand after she pulls her shirt back on in a feeble attempt at modesty. "Let's sleep."

Ashlyn's bedroom looks a lot like the living room, Ali notices as Ashlyn digs through a drawer: grey comforter on her dark wood bed, white sheets poking out, some blue throw pillows. It fills Ali with a sense of peace, calms her racing heart as Ashlyn hands her a pair of soft cotton shorts and a oversized shirt, then leads her to the bathroom. She pulls open a cabinet and produces a brand new toothbrush. Ali snorts.

"What?" Ashlyn asks.

"You keep a spare toothbrush?"

"... you don't?"

"How many girls have you given these complimentary toothbrushes to?"

"Only the cute ones," Ashlyn teases, tapping Ali's ass and closing the bathroom door behind her. Ashlyn changes in the bedroom, shucking her sports bra and pants in favor of a long shirt over her boxers. She's pulling back the covers, just about to climb into bed when she hears Ali gasp.

"Ashlyn!"

"What?!" she says, running to the bathroom door. "Are you okay?"

"This hickey is fucking _huge_!"

Ashlyn presses her lips together to keep from cackling. "Sorry?"

She barely hears Ali start to mutter under her breath before the water turns on.

Ali walks out of the bathroom a few minutes later, and Ashlyn can't believe that it was possible for her to get more beautiful. Makeup washed off, hair in a messy bun, and in Ashlyn's clothes?

"You're so gorgeous."

Ali blushes and crawls onto the bed, pressing her lips to Ashlyn's once she gets close enough.

"Flattery will get you everywhere."

Ashlyn reaches over to click off the lamp on the nightstand, and once they're both cocooned under the soft, soft sheets, Ali rolls on to her side to face Ashlyn.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Being supportive. Not hating me for earlier."

"You care so much about the people you love," Ashlyn shrugs, reaching out to brush flyaway hairs from Ali's eyes. "I'll never hate you for that."

"You're too good to me," Ali whispers, sleep beginning to fog her brain.

"Impossible."

Ali kisses her once more before rolling over. Ashlyn immediately pulls her in, nuzzling her nose into the nape of her neck and tangling their legs together.

"Night, Al."

Ali's only response is an unintelligible mumble.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (i'm mostly) sorry for leaving you hanging there at the end. ;) and p.s. — [this is the smorsecode](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RXS6K1zJFws/VquoH3RehzI/AAAAAAAAyls/mzRBmsSDlpI/s1600/IMG_2941.JPG).
> 
> when i first decided to start posting my writing, i figured that i'd keep it as separate from my other social media as possible. but i'd like to talk to more people in the fandom and meet some new friends/woso fans, so you can find me on [tumblr](http://twolittlesparks.tumblr.com) — feel free to message me and talk about this story, woso in general, yell with me about nwsl fantasy league stuff... whatever! :)
> 
> as always, i'd love to hear your reactions and if there's anything you'd like to see in the future. thanks for all the comments so far, and for reading— you guys rock.
> 
> enjoy the rest of the weekend!


	6. vi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy National No Pants Day, everyone!  
> (Consider the holiday and heed the rating.)

  
Ashlyn wakes up with her arm still tucked securely around Ali's body.

She tries to open her eyes and check the clock, but the sun is too bright and she groans quietly, dropping her head back down on the pillow. Ali must sense the movement, even subconsciously, and she shifts, grunting adorably, but not waking up.

Ashlyn smiles.

The first time she'd woken up with Ali, when she had been so sick, was almost nothing like this. Ashlyn had opened her eyes and realized that all the covers were on top of her and she was on the edge of the bed; Ali's fever had broken and she was sweaty, her limbs thrown in different directions to try and cool herself off. Not sweet or romantic, sure, but the one thing that was the same was the happy little stumble of Ashlyn's heart when she opened her eyes and saw unruly brown hair on the pillow next to her.

She clings tighter to Ali, pulling her closer while scooting forward until there's no space between them. She noses Ali's bedhead to the side until she can rest her cheek against the warm skin of her neck, sighing deeply, satisfied. Ali smells so good, like soap and sleep and something distinctly _her_ , and Ashlyn feels her chest get warm.

Ali does wake up this time, rolling over to face Ashlyn and pressing her body against her warmth again. Ali sticks her knee out, poking it at Ashlyn's until she lets Ali wedge it between hers, retangling their lower legs. Ashlyn puts a palm against the small of Ali's back under her shirt, running her fingertips up and down her spine. Ali tucks her face into the space between Ashlyn's cheek and the pillow.

"Morning," she mumbles, lips barely brushing Ashlyn's neck.

"Morning," Ashlyn answers, and she's very glad Ali can't see her face, because the large, dorky grin that she's sporting would be kind of embarrassing. "How'd you sleep?"

"Mmmm, great." Ali sighs, twisting her hand into the front of Ashlyn's shirt. "You're comfy."

Ashlyn curls her fingers, nails grazing now, and Ali shivers a little.

"Gonna put me back to sleep if you keep doing that," she warns, voice slow and soft.

"You have anywhere to be?"

"Probably," Ali chuckles. "I'm a mom."

Even though Ali says that, she makes no move to get up. Or, well, move at _all_.

"Hey," Ashlyn says.

Ali hums in response.

"Feel this."

Ali cracks an eye open, leaning back to try to get her vision to focus. "What?"

Ashlyn tugs at the neckline of her shirt. "Feel this."

Ali's forehead crinkles even more, but she reaches out anyway, running her fingers along the collar. "Okay... what about it?"

"Good girlfriend material, right?"

Ali buries her face in Ashlyn's neck again, groaning dramatically through a laugh that she can't suppress.

"I'm starting to rethink this relationship."  
  
"You wound me." Ashlyn thinks a second before adding, "Least you could do is kiss it better."

It has the desired effect. Ali pulls her head back up, giving her an exasperated look.

"You are capped at saying three terrible, corny things per day. Use the last one wisely."

Ashlyn grins, leaning over to press her lips to Ali's.

Ali reaches up to cover her mouth.

Ashlyn pouts.

"Morning breath," Ali reasons, muffled.

"Don't care," Ashlyn says, tugging at her hand until she moves it, wrapping her hand around Ali's wrist as she leans in to kiss her.

Ali's lips are dry, but warm and Ashlyn takes her time, trying to convey everything that the hurried, rushed kisses of the night before didn't. Ali sighs against her mouth. She frees her hand from Ashlyn's grasp, finding Ashlyn's waist, the small sliver of inked skin between where her shirt has ridden up and the band of her boxers. Ashlyn presses against her mouth harder, a quick inhale, and Ali rolls onto her back. Ashlyn follows, straddling the tops of Ali's thighs.

Ashlyn's weight on top of her is pleasant, and Ali feels supple and open, arching up, seeking Ashlyn's mouth again. Ashlyn meets her halfway, brushing her hand across Ali's breast over her shirt, and a thrill shoots through her when she hears Ali's breath hitch. She repeats the action, leaving her hand there this time and gently squeezing, and Ali helplessly tries to push her hips up.

Ali's hands reach for the hem of her own shirt, but Ashlyn grabs her hands to stop them. Ali breaks their kiss, looking up at her with a mixture of hurt and confusion on her face.

"Let me?" Ashlyn says. "Please?"

Ali's face relaxes, and she bites her bottom lip as she nods, lifting her arms to wrap them around Ashlyn's neck. Ashlyn puts her hands under Ali's back, sliding back on Ali's thighs and pulling her into a sitting position.

Ashlyn brings her hands to Ali's waist, running them up her ribcage, the shirt coming up with it. Ali raises her arms, and her heart feels like it's going to burst out of her chest. Ashlyn peels the shirt away, dropping it off the side of the bed, and her breath catches in her throat as she looks at Ali.

Ali is suddenly shy under Ashlyn's gaze, her face flushing, and she's thinking about bringing her hands up to cover herself when Ashlyn takes her face in her hands, kissing her deeply. Ali inhales sharply, fleeting bashfulness gone, pulling Ashlyn with her as she drops back down to the mattress. Ali wants to level the playing field, though, so she yanks at Ashlyn's shirt until Ashlyn finally cooperates, taking her shirt off the rest of the way and tossing it somewhere behind her.

She's looming above Ali, and she's about to sink back down onto her when Ali stops her with a hand against her cheek, slowing them down.

"You're so beautiful," Ali murmurs, combing her fingers back, tangling in blonde hair.

"Hey, that's my line," Ashlyn whines, breathless.

Ali smiles. "At least I saved you from using up your last corny line of the day."

"My hero."

Ali tugs Ashlyn back down on top of her, levity gone as quickly as it came at the feeling of skin on skin. Ashlyn palms Ali's breast, her other hand threading in Ali's hair, cradling the back of her skull as she slips her tongue into her mouth. Ali runs her hands down Ashlyn's back, making it all the way down over the curve of her ass before she turns them around, raking her nails back up and over before stopping at the waistband of Ashlyn's boxers. She snakes her hands underneath the elastic and lower, cupping each cheek and digging her nails in.

Ashlyn seizes, gasping, head falling to Ali's shoulder as she grinds down against Ali's thigh and pushes her own against the heat between Ali's legs.

"Jesus," she breathes into Ali's neck. Ali cranes her neck to nip at Ashlyn's earlobe.

"I want..." Ali breathes, echoing Ashlyn from the night before.

Ashlyn whispers against Ali's ear. "Tell me."

Ali's eyes flutter closed.

"Touch me."

Ashlyn kisses her way down Ali's jaw, her neck, stopping to work another hickey into the spot where her neck meets her shoulder. Ali moans in earnest, and Ashlyn knows she's putty in her hands. Ali reaches down, distractedly pushing at the waistband her shorts, doing anything she can to move this along, because she feels like if she's not naked under Ashlyn in the next sixty seconds, it'd be the worst thing in the world.

Ali kicks the shorts to the foot of the bed, losing them amongst the rumpled sheets, and Ashlyn slides further down her body until she finally sees Ali's last layer of clothing: a skimpy little white lace thong, a perfect match to the bra she had discarded the night before. Ashlyn's eyes widen.

"God, you were wearing these all night?"

" _Please_ ," Ali whispers, shifting restlessly. Ashlyn decides not to tease her and hooks her thumbs into the sides, pulling them down Ali's legs.

Ali looks like a goddess, soft but firm, all smooth skin and taut muscle. Ashlyn wishes she could just stare for a while, to learn this new, alluring version of Ali. She wishes she could take the time to trace the curve of her hip or memorize the faint, faint constellation of freckles on her upper arms. Just to make sure she's real, _real_ and naked in front of her.

Ali pokes her toes into Ashlyn's side, bringing her out of her reverie. Ashlyn leans down and kisses the inside of her knee, and Ali twitches. She's slowly making her way up the inside of Ali's thigh when she hears Ali's voice.

"Ashlyn," she says tenderly.

Ashlyn stops her gentle, teasing kisses to look up at Ali, moving closer and resting her cheek against Ali's hipbone. "I... this means the world to me," Ali says, brushing a piece of hair out of Ashlyn's face. "You mean the world to me."

Ashlyn wants to cry. But refuses to let herself. Not now.

Not when there are far more pressing matters at hand.

She presses her mouth to Ali, a long, broad stroke of her tongue, and Ali lets out a loud, strangled whimper, back bowing, one hand flying down to grab a fistful of Ashlyn's hair, the other gripping the sheets.

Ashlyn squeezes her hip. "You okay?"

Ali nods, eyes closed. "Slow," she whispers. "I... I need this to last."

Ashlyn places a kiss on Ali's thigh in acknowledgment before moving back between her legs, palms warm and heavy on her thighs. Ali is more responsive than Ashlyn ever could have hoped for. Her breath comes out in shallow little pants, punctuated by trembling little whines when Ashlyn does something that makes her muscles quiver.

Ashlyn wants to coax more from her though, so screw slow.

She moves her mouth higher and sucks, and Ali keens.

"A-Ash."

"Hmmm?" Ashlyn asks, not moving her mouth, and the vibrations make Ali's eyes roll back.

" _Ash_ ," Ali pants again, desperately tugging at her hair, "c-come here."

Ashlyn swipes the back of her hand across her mouth, making her way back up Ali's body, leaving a trail of kisses up her sternum until she reaches her mouth. Ali cups her neck, taking Ashlyn's bottom lip between hers.

"I need you here," Ali whispers when they part. Ashlyn knows what Ali wants, what she's asking for, and she drags her nails down Ali's stomach, touching their foreheads together. Ali's eyes flutter shut as Ashlyn slides her hand between her legs.

She rubs agonizingly slow, trying to draw out Ali's pleasure for as long as she can. Ali mumbles her name like a prayer, and her breath catches in her throat when Ashlyn slips a finger into her. Ashlyn keeps up a lazy rhythm, Ali occasionally grinding her hips up against her until the gentle thrusts aren't enough, there's not _enough_ and she needs—

"More."

Ashlyn kisses her as she adds another finger, crooking them slightly.

Ali throws her head back, hand flying up and grabbing onto the pillow behind her. "Yes," she whimpers. Ashlyn runs her other hand up Ali's arm until their hands meet and laces their fingers together.

"Good?" Ashlyn murmurs. Ali is breathing too heavily to answer with words, so her only response is to squeeze their clasped hands, her other hand digging into Ashlyn's waist.

Ali tries to hold off, not wanting it be over so quickly, but Ashlyn pushes just a little harder, goes a little faster, curling her fingers and the spot she hits sends a violent shiver down Ali's spine.

" _There_ ," Ali gasps desperately. Ashlyn doesn't dare move, doesn't change a thing, just keeps a steady pace that has Ali writhing under her. Pressure perfect and dizzying, Ali feels it coming, knows she's about to break.

Ashlyn knows it, too. "I've got you," she whispers against Ali's temple.

It's all the reassurance Ali needs as white heat zips through her veins. She gasps, arching up into Ashlyn and stiffening, toes curled. Ashlyn continues to move against her, and a few seconds later, Ali lets out a shaky sigh, her thighs trembling as she crumbles back to the mattress. She wraps her arms around Ashlyn's torso, pulling her flush against her and burying her face in Ashlyn's neck as Ashlyn rolls them onto their sides.

Ali's still shaking against her as Ashlyn holds her close, still-wet fingers rubbing up and down her back. She's about to make a smug comment about leaving Ali speechless when she feels the moisture on her neck.

"Alex?" Ashlyn whispers. "Are you crying?"

Ashlyn feels Ali nod against her. She goes to pull back to check on her, but Ali just clings to her tighter. Ashlyn is about to panic, terrified she's done something wrong, when she feels Ali rub her thumb back and forth across her shoulder blade, and she settles a little.

Ali takes a minute before she pulls back, looking up at Ashlyn with red-rimmed eyes.

"Sorry," she mumbles.

"No, no," Ashlyn soothes, wiping at the wetness on Ali's cheeks.

"I'm just... overwhelmed." Ali inhales shakily. "It's been a long time, and I've never felt..." She trails off, unable to find the words to say what she feels, but Ashlyn understands.

"Me too."

Ali smiles. _Sweet, sensitive Ashlyn_.

"But I haven't even touched you yet," she murmurs, leaning in to kiss Ashlyn before she stops her.

"You don't have—"

"Ashlyn," Ali says lowly, pushing on Ashlyn's shoulder until she's on her back, "if you don't think I want to repay you for what you just did to me, you're out of your mind."

Ali straddles her, tossing her hair over one shoulder, and Ashlyn groans. Ali bends down, biting and sucking the skin under Ashlyn's earlobe. She runs her nails down Ashlyn's chest, over her breasts, and Ashlyn squeaks.

"I'm..." she pants, squirming, "it's not going to take long."

Ali scoots back, sliding a hand between Ashlyn's legs, and she gasps.

"God," Ali groans. "You're so—"

" _Fuck_ , Alex, I know, just please—" Ashlyn begs, choking on her words when Ali presses two fingers into her easily, thumb firmly sweeping across.

" _Fuck_ ," Ashlyn grunts again, feeling like her body has taken her from zero to sixty almost immediately. Ali smirks above her, pleased. Her goal is the opposite of Ashlyn's; while Ashlyn wanted to build her up slowly, all Ali wants is to hear Ashlyn scream her name in as little time as possible.

Ali runs her nails over the mermaid tattoo on the outside of Ashlyn's thigh, and Ashlyn shivers.

"Don't stop," Ashlyn pleads. "So close."

Ali doesn't, rubbing and pushing and pressing her hips down into Ashlyn's as her fingers curl up. Ashlyn curses, expletives mixed with Ali's name tumbling from her lips. She writhes as she tries to lift her hips, but Ali's weight restrains her as she strokes her through it, bringing Ashlyn down gently until she's too sensitive to take any more.

"Stop," Ashlyn whimpers, clamping her hand around Ali's wrist and her thighs around Ali's hand. "Too much, I can't."

Ali pulls her hand back, slowly, but not without brushing over Ashlyn one more time, her body giving one final jolt.

"Holy _shit_."

Ali chuckles, warm breath fanning across Ashlyn's chest. "And here I was, thinking I was way out of practice."

Ashlyn chuckles. "If that's the case, don't practice. You'll kill me next time."

They lay there, skin sticky and sweaty, until Ali's stomach gurgles.

"Let me make you breakfast," Ashlyn says, giving Ali one last, deep kiss before hopping out of bed, throwing one of their shirts over her body before Ali even gets a chance to ogle her.

"Do you want me to help?"

"No! Just... stay there," Ashlyn pleads. "And stay naked."

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn comes back about 15 minutes later, tray full of bacon, eggs, toast, and some sliced fruit. She stops in the doorway, leaning against the frame to watch Ali. She listened, thank goodness. She's laying on her stomach, sheets pooled at her waist as she talks on her phone. Ashlyn catches the tail end of the conversation.

"Okay, baby. I'll see you soon. Love you."

Ali hangs up her phone, switching over to check texts or e-mails, Ashlyn can't tell. She also can't stop staring until Ali's voice breaks through to her.

"You don't have to stare, you know," she says, not even looking up from her phone.

"If you had the view I did, you would be."

Ali does look at her then, glancing over her shoulder and sticking out her tongue. She looks radiant, glowing and sex-tousled, and Ashlyn is almost tempted to drop the tray and forget the food in favor of another round when Ali's eyes get wide.

"Bacon?!"

Ashlyn snorts.

Ali rolls onto her back as Ashlyn finally enters the room, shameless now in her nakedness as she arches her back, stretching her tense muscles, and Ashlyn groans.

"Sorry," Ali says, sitting up and pulling the sheets up to her chest and tucking them under her arms. "Kinda."

Ashlyn sets the tray down between them, sitting and holding a piece of bacon out for Ali. Ali bites into it, moaning.

"You're perfect."

"Talking to me or the bacon?"

"Both."

They eat relatively quietly after that, feeding each other bites in between kisses. They've polished off most of the food when Ali speaks up.

"Oh! Mom wanted me to invite you to dinner tonight," she says, popping the last chunk of cantaloupe into her mouth. "Dad's grilling. You free?"

"I've got a meeting with a gallery owner this afternoon, but my evening belongs to the Kriegers."

Ali beams, nose crinkling. She takes a couple more bites of toast before wiping her hand on a napkin. "As much as I absolutely don't want to," she laments, "I do have to go home soon."

Ashlyn sticks her bottom lip out. Ali leans over to kiss it.

"But the good news," Ali is so, _so_ coy, and Ashlyn is eating it up, "is that I definitely can't go home smelling like sweat and sex. So I may need a shower."

Ashlyn grins from ear to ear, whipping her shirt back off.

"As long as we don't have to put clothes on again for at least another half hour," she says, climbing off the bed and pulling Ali into the bathroom with her, "I'll be the happiest girl in the world."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides in my trash can*
> 
> I... absolutely did _not_ intend to make this 3,000+ words of what it was (smutty fluff? fluffy smut?). This chapter was actually way longer, encompassing their whole day, but I didn't have time to finish the whole thing, and I promised I'd update before I left. Hopefully you still enjoyed it, even sans Molly.
> 
> Sadly, I will be out of town through next weekend, so there won't be any new updates for a couple of weeks, possibly. :( But the good news is, since I cut this chapter in half(ish), what will be the next chapter is already mostly written. Once again, you can follow/talk to me on [tumblr](http://twolittlesparks.tumblr.com).
> 
> Thanks for hanging with me. Y'all are awesome.


	7. vii.

Ali pulls into the driveway a few minutes before 11:00. She steps out of the car, smiling at the scene before her.

Deb, floppy straw hat perched on her head, is kneeling in the garden, Molly in a bright pink bucket hat at her side. Even from a distance, Ali can see Molly's face scrunched up, watching every move Deb is making. Ali had bought Molly a child gardening set the year before, complete with a tiny plastic trowel and watering can, and after the first time Deb had taken her in the garden, Molly had developed a green thumb.

Deb points to a small spot, and Molly gently tips her watering can over, her little tongue poking out of the side of her mouth in intense concentration. Deb tells her when she's poured enough, and she beams, proud of herself.

"Good job, Mol!" Ali says, walking up towards the house.

"Mommy!" Molly drops the watering can and runs over to Ali, wrapping her arms around her legs. Ali bends down and presses a kiss to the top of her head.

"I missed you, baby. What are you two doing out here? You helping Grandma?"

"Yep! We're planting germs!" she says excitedly, looking up at Ali.

" _Geraniums_ , love," Deb corrects.

"Germanias!"

Ali shakes her head, chuckling. She reaches back and takes Molly's hands, pulling them from around her legs and holding her arms out.

"Look at you!" Ali says, amused. "I like your outfit. Did you dress yourself today?"

Molly proudly stands taller in her neon yellow shirt (glittery letters confirming her "ONE COOL KID" status, the sunglasses emoji right in the middle), purple shorts, and mismatched orange and green socks. She nods, satisfied that Ali noticed.

"I like yours, too," Molly compliments, ever Ali's biggest fan. Her head tilts to the side a few seconds later, though, taking in her mother's appearance. "You had those clothes on yesterday at the zoo!"

Ali's eyes get wide. Molly doesn't understand what she's called her mother out on, of course, but Ali's face still flushes nonetheless. Deb saves her daughter from having to explain.

"Molly, honey, go inside and ask Grandpa for a glass of water, please?"

Molly nods, bounding up the porch steps and into the house.

Deb lifts the brim of her hat up, wiping a few beads of sweat off her forehead and raising an eyebrow at Ali, looking her up and down.

"What?"

Deb's glare gets more pointed.

"Mom, I'm an adult! I can... spend the night somewhere."

"I'm not judging!" Deb insists.

Ali still looks self-conscious, and Deb's teasing look melts away.

"Alex," Deb says tenderly, patting the grass next to her, and Ali sinks down. "I know you love her."

"I really do." Ali doesn't even attempt to deny it anymore. She pulls her knees up to her chest, and Deb's eyebrow knit together. Before she can ask Ali what's wrong, she speaks up again.

"I need to talk to Molly," Ali sighs. "I mean, I know Ashlyn loves her, and Molly adores Ashlyn just as much, but... this is different. I don't know how she'll react. I don't know if she'll understand."

Deb pats her knee.

"Love isn't hard to understand, Alex."

 

* * *

 

Molly loses interest in helping in the garden a little while later. After Ali had changed into a pair of jeans and a tank top, she joined Molly and Deb outside. Happy to have her mom back home, Molly abandoned Deb in the front yard, opting to let Ali push her on the swing set out back.

Molly finally seems to start winding down a little while later. They're in the middle of a game of tag when she slows, climbing the ladder up to the small fort at the top of the swing set, poking her head back out and beckoning Ali up.

"Mommy! Come up! Pleeeease!"

There's not much room up there, but enough that Ali is able to contort her body and leave enough room for Molly, too. As Ali climbs in, Molly spins the Xs and Os of the built-in Tic-Tac-Toe board, smiling at Ali contentedly once she settles in, and Ali figures that this is as good a time as any.

"Mol, baby."

"What, Mommy?" she answers distractedly, still twirling the blocks.

"Can I talk to you about something?" When Molly nods, but still doesn't turn around to look at her, Ali adds, "It's important. Can you pay attention, please?"

Molly turns around then, but still doesn't say anything, just dutifully climbs into Ali's lap. Ali reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind Molly's ear.

"Do you remember, at the zoo yesterday, we were looking at all the cool shirts in the gift shop? We were looking around and Ashlyn wasn't there. You looked at Mommy and you told me that you loved Ashlyn. Do you remember that?"

Molly smiles then, nodding.

"Can you tell me why you love Ashlyn?" Ali asks.

Molly's answer is almost immediate. "She makes me happy."

Ali hugs Molly to her. "I'm so glad." She takes a deep breath before continuing. "You know... Ashlyn makes me happy, too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, she does," Ali says softly. "I love Ashlyn, too."

That causes Molly to pull back, sit up.

"You love Ashy?" she asks slowly.

"Yes, baby," Ali says, and she can't fight the smile that spreads. "I love her very much."

"Okay," Molly says, nodding, and Ali can't quite get a read on her.

"Are you sure?" Ali asks, trying to get her to elaborate, but all Molly does is lean back in and hug her.

"Mommy, I'm tired. Can I take a nap?"

"Oh. Sure, baby. Okay."

Ali feels sick to her stomach when Molly goes inside and curls up on the sofa without asking Ali to rub her back.

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn's phone rings and rings.

"Come on, come on," Ali mutters. "Pick up."

_"Hi, you've reached Ashlyn Harris. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave your name and number, and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you, and have a great day."_

"Hey, babe," Ali says, trying to keep the tears, the slight tremor out of her voice. "I was just checking to see if you were still coming to dinner. You're probably still in your meeting so, um, just call back when you can? Bye."

Ali twirls the phone in her hand nervously, jumping a few seconds later when it starts to ring and vibrate in her hand. She sees Ashlyn's face smiling up at her from the screen and swipes to answer.

"Hi," she breathes.

"Hey!" Ashlyn says. "Sorry I missed you. I was on the other line and I— it was important. I had to take it."

"It's okay," Ali says, surprising herself with the steadiness of her voice. "How did your meeting go?"

Ashlyn pauses. "Good. It went... well, I think."

"Great!" Ali says, genuine pride in her voice. "So, you're still coming to dinner, yeah?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. What time?"

"Whenever you can. Dad will never admit it, but he could always use a little help prepping everything for the grill. And your favorite 4-year-old is napping, but I'm sure she'd be over the moon if you were here when she woke up."

"I'm gonna run to the apartment to change and then I'll head over. See you soon."

"Can't wait."

 

* * *

 

Ali rushes to the front door the second the bell rings, wrapping her arms around Ashlyn's waist as soon as she can.

"Oh— hi!" Ashlyn laughs, squeezing Ali back, kissing her temple. "Missed me, huh? I would have missed me, too."

Ali pokes her side, nuzzling into the soft material of her open flannel shirt. "That was your third strike. No more corniness today."

"Damnit."

Ali takes a deep breath. "I'm glad you're here."

Ashlyn can tell that something's not quite right, but she doesn't get a chance to ask her about it before she hears Deb's voice call out from the next room.

"Ashlyn, honey, is that you?"

"Yes ma'am!"

Ali slides her arms from around Ashlyn's waist, tangling their fingers and pulling her through the dining room.

"Smells good in here already!" Ashlyn commends as they step into the kitchen. "What do you guys have going?"

"Baked potatoes are already in the oven! Then we have pork chops with spicy grilled peaches and corn on the cob," Deb says as she pats the meat dry, setting it on a tray.

"Peaches are my favorite," Ashlyn says, discreetly palming Ali's ass out of sight. She barely contains her flinch when Ali deliberately steps on her toes on her way over to the counter to help Deb.

"Yeah, we drove out to Westmoreland Farm the other day. The peaches are great right now, and they're even better when you grill them just right," Ken says.

"Here you go, dad," Ali says as she finishes brushing olive oil onto the pork chops, sprinkling salt and pepper on top before handing the tray over to Ken. "Ashlyn and I can chop up the peaches."

"Thanks, sweetheart."

Ken walks out to the deck, and Deb follows behind him with a bowl full of halved corn cobs. As soon as the door closes behind them, Ashlyn walks around the counter, standing next to Ali as she starts cutting into the fruit.

"What's the matter, Al? I can tell something's up," Ashlyn says gently.

"It's Molly," Ali murmurs, the rhythmic sound of the knife hitting the cutting board deafening in the quiet room. "She was fine when I got home. We played outside, had fun. Then we were talking and since then she's been... she hasn't been Molly."

"What did you two talk about?"

Ali realizes she's backed herself into a corner, and she's trying to figure out what to tell Ashlyn when, thankfully, Molly chooses that moment to walk into the kitchen, rubbing at her eyes. The second her gaze lands on Ashlyn, though, she brightens, running the short distance to her and letting Ashlyn pick her up.

"Ashy," she sighs, curling herself around Ashlyn.

"Hey," Ashlyn says, rubbing a hand up and down Molly's back. "You have a good nap?"

Molly nods into Ashlyn's shoulder. Ashlyn gives her a little squeeze, going to set her down on the floor when Molly whines, clinging tighter.

"No!"

"O-okay," Ashlyn says, taken aback. "I can hold you."

"Molly, you need to let Ashlyn put you down. You need to go wash your hands before dinner."

"I don't want to!"

Molly squirms out of Ashlyn's arms, opening the back door and running down the deck, out to her swingset.

Deb and Ken look on with wide eyes, and Ali's chin quivers. "You see?" she says, voice breaking. "She's never like this, Ash."

"It'll be fine," Ashlyn soothes. "Is it okay if I go check on her?"

Ali nods.

Ashlyn slowly walks out into the backyard. The sun is dipping lower in the sky, but there's definitely enough light for Ashlyn to see Molly huddled underneath the fort in what should be a little sandbox. In true Molly fashion, though, instead of sand there's a pink blanket lining the wooden bottom, matching inexpensive throw pillows that Ali had found at Goodwill propped up in the corners.

"Hey, kiddo," Ashlyn whispers once she's close enough for Molly to hear. "Can I come sit with you?"

Molly takes a second before she finally nods.

It's hard for all 5'9" of Ashlyn to crawl under the slide, but she manages somehow. She decides to test the waters, reaching out and placing a hand on Molly's back, rubbing up and down. Molly doesn't flinch or shove her away, so Ashlyn takes it a step further and wraps her hand around Molly's shoulder, pulling her into her side.

Molly doesn't pull away, but she starts to cry.

"Oh, sweetheart," Ashlyn murmurs, "shhhh, it's okay." She turns as best she can to face Molly and wipes the crocodile tears off her red cheeks with gentle fingers. She's not touching all that snot, though, so she decides to sacrifice her flannel, pulling her hand into the sleeve and wiping Molly's nose with the cuff, wincing.

Molly sniffles a few more times before her tears seem to stop.

"What's wrong?"

"Mommy doesn't l-love me anymore."

Ashlyn's face is comical.

"What?! Molly, of course your mommy loves you. She loves you more than anything in the whole wide world. Why would you say that?"

"B-b-because she loves you very m-much."

Ashlyn's eyes get huge.

"She... did she tell you that?"

Molly nods, a little hiccup escaping.

Ashlyn's stomach flips. She takes a second to process what Molly's just told her before turning her attention back to the little girl.

"Come here," she says, patting her crossed legs, and Molly crawls into her lap. Ashlyn wraps her arms around her, holding her close. "Molly, just because Mommy loves me doesn't mean she loves you any less. And just because I love you, it doesn't mean I love Mommy any less, either."

"You love me, too?"

Ashlyn kisses the top of her head. "To the moon and back, sweetheart."

Molly pulls back to look up at Ashlyn. "Promise?"

Ashlyn holds her pinky out. "Pinky promise. Those are the most special promises you can make."

Molly smiles, finally, linking her pinky with Ashlyn's.

"I think everyone is wondering where we are. Can we go inside and eat all that yummy food?"

Molly nods, climbing off Ashlyn's lap and out from underneath the slide.

"Hey, Molly?" Ashlyn calls out as she climbs out behind her. Once Molly turns around, Ashlyn crouches down next to her. "Next time, if you're upset, you should tell your mommy what's wrong, okay? Being mean to her doesn't make it better. Understand?"

"Yes."

"I think when we go inside, you should give Mommy a hug and tell her you love her."

"Okay," Molly says. "Are you going to hug her and love her, too?"

Ashlyn smiles, ruffling Molly's hair.

"Yeah, I am."

 

* * *

 

Later, after dinner on the deck, Ken is scraping char off the grill while Deb cleans the dishes inside. Molly sits in between Ali and Ashlyn on the steps of the deck, all three eating bowls of the homemade ginger ice cream Deb had made a few days ago, topped off with a few of the leftover grilled peaches with some sugar sprinkled on top. Ali laughs as Molly and Ashlyn tip their bowls up at almost the exact same time, trying to get every melted drop out of the bowl. Molly is significantly less coordinated, though, and most of the ice cream ends up on her chin and shirt.

"And, sweet girl, that means you definitely need a long bath."

Molly sighs dramatically, handing her bowl over to Ali as Deb walks out onto the deck.

"Who needs a ba— oh!" she gasps as she sees the mess Molly's made. "Let's go, love," she says, holding her hand out for Molly to take. "We'll come back down after we've got you ready for bed."

Ali stands up to follow them inside, helping Ashlyn up off the step and keeping their hands clasped as they head back inside. Ali puts all of their bowls in the sink, rinsing them out and washing her hands when Ashlyn comes up behind her, wrapping her arms around Ali's waist and pressing a quick kiss to the side of her neck.

"Can we go out on the porch? We need to talk."

Ali's stomach churns at the words, but she squeezes Ashlyn's hands anyway, turning her head and mustering up a smile. "Yeah, let's go."

Ashlyn keeps her hand on the small of Ali's back as they walk through the dining room and out to the front porch. Ashlyn is confused when Ali doesn't curl up next to her, opting instead to sit nearly on the opposite side of the swing.

"This isn't anything bad, you know," she says, lifting her arm up onto the back, an invitation for Ali to snuggle against her.

"Nothing good usually comes after the words ‘We need to talk'."

Ashlyn huffs out a laugh. "I think the Krieger women have a bit of a communication problem."

Ali gapes at her incredulously.

"Please, just come here."

Ali purses her lips, but scoots over anyway, resting her head on Ashlyn's shoulder and laying her legs across her lap. Ashlyn reaches up with her free hand, gently running her fingers through Ali's hair. The only sounds are crickets and the occasional gentle creak of the chains holding up the swing before Ashlyn finally speaks.

"I know what was wrong with Molly today."

"I figured you got to the bottom of it when she came inside significantly less bratty."

"Hey, now, don't be mean to my buddy."

The corner of Ali's mouth raises for a moment. "What did she tell you?"

"She was worried that you didn't love her anymore."

Ali sits up, looking at Ashlyn, her face pained. "She... why would she think that?"

"Because," Ashlyn murmurs, voice catching a little in her throat, "because she said you told her that you love me very much."

Ali's eyes widen, her mouth moving as she tries to find the words she wants to say, not believing that her 4-year-old just took the next step in her relationship for her.

"Ashlyn—"

Ashlyn brings a hand to her cheek.

"I love you, too, Alex."

Ashlyn has seen Ali smile so many times since they've met. But this one? This wide, radiant, brilliant grin?

This one is her favorite.

Ali pulls her legs back, putting a knee on either side of Ashlyn's thighs on the swing so she can lean in and kiss her hard.

"I love you," she says against Ashlyn's lips, hands warm against her cheeks, smile taking over again as Ashlyn wraps her arms around her waist, pulling her closer. They try to keep kissing, but Ashlyn's smiling now too, and it's almost impossible.

"I love you," Ali says again, weight lifted off her shoulders, the freedom to say it making her feel light. "I wanted to say it this morning," she mumbles, rubbing her thumb along Ashlyn's cheekbone. "But I was afraid, because we had just— I didn't want you to think I just said it because of that. I wanted you to know I meant it."

Ashlyn kisses her again, desperately, until Ali pulls away, laughing.

"What?" Ashlyn asks breathlessly.

"I can't believe my 4-year-old told you I loved you before I could."

"Kids say the darndest things."

Ali slides off of Ashlyn's lap, resuming her earlier position, and they cuddle on the swing, stealing small kisses until the front door creaks open about ten minutes later.

"Mommy? Ashy?"

"Out here."

Molly's in a pair of Minnie Mouse pajamas, her hand gripped around Bongo's neck as she walks over to the swing.

"Can I sit?"

"Of course, baby," Ali coos, helping Molly up onto the swing. She curls up between the two of them, her legs heavy across Ali's thighs, body tucked in between Ashlyn's right side and Ali's left. Molly lets out a tiny sigh, closing her eyes and leaning back against Ashlyn, her arms wrapped around Bongo.

"Love you, Mommy. Love you, Ashy."

"Love you, too, kiddo," Ashlyn whispers, and Ali smiles.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your unending patience/impatience with me! Both make me feel like I'm doing alright.
> 
> And thank you for every comment, every tumblr message. Hearing from you guys in any capacity is wonderful, but my favorite comments are the ones that pick out certain things that you liked or didn't like — it lets me know what works and maybe what falls flat. So if you have a few extra seconds, I'd love to hear your favorite parts (of this chapter specifically or of the story as a whole).
> 
> As always, you can find me on [tumblr](http://twolittlesparks.tumblr.com).


	8. viii.

"Ooooh, where are you going?" Deb says when Ali walks into the kitchen in a little black dress that hugs her in all the right places, her hair falling in soft, loose curls.

Ali laughs as she slips on a pair of chandelier earrings. "Ashlyn's. She's cooking. Returning the favor for that amazing meal you and dad made the other day."

"All the work and none of the spoils," Deb jokes. "You look pretty fancy for a night in."

"I want to make an effort!" Ali defends. "We're in the honeymoon phase. It's too early to have date night in sweatpants. We're not an old married couple."

Deb feigns offense, and Ali rolls her eyes as she puts on her heels.

"I'll be back later," she says, grabbing her purse and the chilled bottle of wine in the tote next to it. "You guys don't have to wait up."

"This old married couple wouldn't dream of it!" Deb calls after her.

Ali dials Ashlyn as she pulls out of the neighborhood a few minutes later.

"Hey," Ashlyn says after a couple of rings.

"On my way! Do you need anything else? Besides the pinot I have buckled into the passenger seat, of course."

"Seriously?"

"Safety first."

Ashlyn laughs. "I just need you."

"Keep that up and you'll definitely have me later."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ashlyn murmurs. "I love you."

Ali's heart still flutters when she hears it. "I love you, too. See you soon."

 

* * *

 

"Wow," Ashlyn says when she opens the door.

Ali smiles, stepping up to Ashlyn and easily wrapping her arms around her neck, the added height of her heels making her just as tall as the blonde. Ali kisses her in greeting, and Ashlyn shuts the door before putting an arm around her waist.

"Are you gonna say that every time we have a date?" Ali asks, mouth still inches from Ashlyn's.

"Absolutely."

"Even when we get boring and wear sweatpants?"

"What?"

Ali laughs, pecking Ashlyn's lips one more time before setting her purse down by the door, toeing off her heels as Ashlyn takes the wine from her and puts it in the ice bucket on the table.

"Someone really wants to get laid tonight," Ali murmurs. Ashlyn's dining room table, dark wood with a light cobalt runner, has votive candles scattered on it, a vase of fresh, fragrant lilies in the center.

"Is chivalry really _that_ dead?" Ashlyn quips as she takes the grilled salmon out of the oven, letting it cool as she goes back to the stove to check on the rice pilaf. "Can't a girl just spoil you with no ulterior motives?"

"So you don't want sex?"

"Hey now. Don't put words in my mouth."

Ali comes up behind her and kisses her neck, fingers light and teasing up and down her ribs.

"You're right. There are far better things your mouth could be doing."

The rice pilaf ends up burning, and even though it's not her favorite, Ali settles for baked asparagus as her penance.

 

* * *

 

Later, after the dishes have been cleaned and the candles blown out, they're sitting on the sofa, Ali stretched out with her feet in Ashlyn's lap and her third glass of wine in her hand.

"Alex."

"Yes?" Ali drawls, just on this side of tipsy, poking her toes into Ashlyn's stomach.

"I have something to tell you."

Ali turns serious. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Ashlyn says, and Ali thinks she hears a tinge of hesitance, but the wine tells her she can't be sure. "I, uh— I landed a job. A big job."

Ali's mouth falls open in delight. "That's great!"

"It's a special artist residency program. Usually you have to apply, submit a portfolio and everything. But I guess someone who knows someone suggested me, because the other day, when I was on the phone when you called? I was talking to Oskar, the program director. He actually called to invite me, no application needed. Said he saw my work and was very impressed."

Ali is beaming. "Babe, that's incredible!"

Ashlyn nods. "It's a 3-month thing so it'll be consistent income and work, which is even better. There's an expo toward the end of the program, too, so I'll be able to sell all of the pieces I complete while I'm there. Lots of wealthy people come through, so I hear." Ashlyn lowers her voice, like there's someone else in the apartment that could possibly hear them. "Like, depending on how much I can finish, it might even mean close to six figures."

Ali chokes on her wine. "Holy _shit_."

Ashlyn chuckles. "I know, it's crazy. And everything about it sounds so perfect, except for one thing."

"Oh?" Ali asks, muffled by her wine glass.

Ashlyn's smile drops, her face turning serious. "The residence. It's not here."

"Oh," Ali frowns, but brightens back up a second later. "Well, we can make weekends sometimes! If you have free time, we—"

"Alex," Ashlyn says, and the tone of her voice stops Ali immediately.

"...what?" Ali asks, setting her glass down.

"You can't."

Ali's stomach drops.

"Ashlyn, what's going on?"

Ashlyn wrings her hands.

"Alex, it's... I'm going to Germany."

Ali barks out a laugh until she realizes that Ashlyn isn't kidding.

"Wha— G- _Germany_?!" Ali says incredulously. "You're serious?"

Ashlyn just nods.

"You... you accepted a job in another country, on another _continent_ even, and you didn't think that maybe that's a decision you might want to have my input on?"

Ashlyn can't tell if Ali's more angry or hurt or heartbroken.

"They needed an answer right away," she says honestly, trying to explain. "I had to give him my decision then. If I didn't take it, he wasn't going to have enough time to review the work of other candidates. My gut was telling me to take it."

Ali puts her face in her hands.

"When?" she asks, voice eerily calm.

"When what?"

"When are you leaving?"

Ashlyn sighs, letting her eyes slip shut for a moment.

"Sunday."

" _Sunday_?!" Ali shouts, standing. "Sunday as in _this_ Sunday, as in 3 days from now."

"Alex—"

"When were you going to tell me all of this?! Why didn't you tell me the day you got the call?"

Ashlyn visibly shrinks. "We— we were having such an amazing day," she says softly. "That was the morning we— I didn't want to ruin it. I didn't want to take that away from us. That's why I decided not to tell you then."

Ali hasn't said anything, and Ashlyn's about to start speaking again when Ali's face changes, like she's just realized something and looks like she's about to cry.

"You know, maybe I could have handled this, but did you even think about what this is going to do to Molly? For God's _sake_ , Ashlyn, she's only 4! She's not going to understand! You're a huge part of her life and she is going to be devastated. How could you _do_ this to her?"

" _Do_ this to— I'm doing this _for_ her!" Ashlyn insists, her anger matching Ali's. "I'm doing this for _both of you_! This is a huge opportunity for me and I'm doing this for our future, _together_."

"How am I supposed to trust you with our future when you don't even talk to me about things now, Ashlyn?"

"It's _not_ that big of a deal, Ali! It's only three months."

The use of her nickname stings.

"You claim you love me, and you claim you love my daughter, but you leaving us for three months to go to another country ‘isn't that big of a deal'?" Her voice cracks. "Tell me, Ashlyn, how am I supposed to explain that to my child?"

Ashlyn doesn't have a response to that.

"I can't do this," Ali says. "I'm leaving."

"Alex, _no_ ," Ashlyn begs. "I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner or talked to you first..."

"It's too late, Ashlyn! The damage is done."

Ashlyn feels dizzy, light-headed, and everything is happening too fast.

"So what, this is it?" she asks, gesturing wildly. "I'm not worth waiting for?"

Ali doesn't answer as she makes her way towards the front door, and that truly sends Ashlyn into panic mode.

"Can I at least come tell Molly bye before I go?"

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Please," Ashlyn whispers, reaching out and wrapping her hand around Ali's wrist to stop her. Ali whips around and yanks her hand from Ashlyn's grasp.

"If _anyone's_ going to break my daughter's heart, it's gonna be _me_ ," she says fiercely. "I'm _not_ going to let you hurt her."

Ashlyn recoils as if she's been slapped.

Ali grabs her purse, hooking her fingers through the straps of her heels and barging out of the apartment.

Ashlyn barely makes it to the bathroom before she heaves into the toilet.

 

* * *

 

  
Ali is already in bed, makeup washed off and clothes carelessly tossed in a pile on the floor, when she hears a knock at her door.

"Yeah?" Ali calls.

It's late, so she expects to see Deb when the door opens, but she sees the top of a tiny head poke in instead.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah, sweet girl, you can come in."

Molly climbs up on the bed, immediately snuggling into Ali's side.

"Grandma said you were sad. Why are you sad?"

Ali thinks this is probably the hardest thing she's going to have to do for a long, long time.

"I need to tell you something." Ali tries to figure out how to break it to her, but she can't think of anything other than the truth, so she cuts to the chase. "Baby, we're..." she has to stop, take a deep breath, "we're not going to be able to see Ashlyn anymore."

Molly's eyes get wide. "No," she says, tears already starting to fall. "Mommy, _no_ , why?"

Ali feels like her heart is shattering, and tears spill out of her own eyes again.

"Molly, I'm sorry," she says wetly. "But Ashlyn's leaving."

"Why is she leaving? Does she not love us anymore? She _promised_!"

"Baby, she still loves you. She's always gonna love you."

"Then why is she leaving?" Molly sobs again, and all Ali can do is hold her close, rubbing her back and soothing her as she cries herself to sleep.

 

* * *

 

The digital clock on Ali's nightstand reads 5:43am on Sunday morning, and except for the period between 3:21am and 3:39am (and a few more periods of dozing that total five hours over the past few days, if she's lucky), she's been awake all night.

She lays there, cocooned around Molly and watching her sleep, her gentle, even breaths warm against Ali's neck. Molly usually didn't sleep in Ali's bed with her more than once a week — her obsession with her pink canopy bed made sure of that. When she did, however, Ali would often be awoken by an arm to the face or a kick to the shin, so as much as she loves her daughter, she savors the nights when she can sleep in peace.

Molly has been still through the night, though, sleeping deeper than Ali had noticed in a while. Visibly sad since she learned of Ashlyn's impending departure, she often refused to leave Ali's side, clinging to her and sleeping practically on top of her every night. Though Ali wished she could put up a front for Molly, she was miserable, too, and Molly had certainly picked up on it.

Giving up yet again on getting any rest, Ali decides to go downstairs and make a cup of coffee, hoping it will start her day as well as could be expected. She slowly untangles herself from Molly, whose face scrunches up at the loss of warmth.

"Shhh, shhh," Ali soothes, brushing the fine, flyaway hairs from Molly's forehead. Ali presses her pillow up against Molly to settle her again, and even though just the sight of her hurts, Ali picks Bubbles up and tucks her into Molly's arms.

Ali puts on a sports bra and tank top, keeping on the yoga pants she slept in. She pads down the stairs, not registering the smell of the already-brewed pot of coffee, and she almost screams when she realizes there's already someone sitting at the table.

"Oh," Ali gasps, startled. "Dad."

Ken sets the paper down, nudging his glasses further down his nose. "You're up early."

"Up late is more like it," Ali says as she takes a mug from the cabinet. "I've barely slept, even with Molly next to me."

Ken pauses for a moment, watching her pour the steaming coffee.

"She leaves today."

Ali nods, not looking up. "Her flight is this afternoon."

Ken just keeps his gaze on Ali as she adds cream and sugar to her mug, then walks over to sit beside him at the table. She takes a few sips and seems satisfied with the taste, and Ken patiently waits for her to open up to him.

"I kissed her for the first time in here."

She sees his eyebrows raise over the rim of his coffee mug.

"Molly's birthday party," Ali elaborates. "She had just given me that little painting of us on the plane the day we met. And I... I couldn't _not_ kiss her anymore."

Ken waits again.

"Dad," Ali murmurs. "I messed up. Badly. And I haven't even told her that I'm sorry."

"Then," Ken sighs, "You can't let her go. Not like this. Not without telling her."

"She probably doesn't even want to see me," Ali mumbles. "I said some terrible things to her. Things I didn't even really mean but I knew they'd hurt her." She chuckles mirthlessly. "When we first started seeing each other, her biggest fear was that she'd do something that would hurt me or Molly. And I'm being hypocritical and deliberately doing just that."

"What could be so bad that she wouldn't want to see you?"

"Well, for starters, I told her she couldn't see Molly to tell her bye."

" _Alex_ ," he chastises.

"I know," Ali says, cupping both hands around her mug. "I'm just... I'm just sad. And scared."

"Of what?"

Ali takes a long sip of her coffee, considering her words before she speaks.

"Ever since I got pregnant, I've felt like I've been fighting an uphill battle. All of a sudden, here I am, responsible for this little person. I love her with every bone in my body and I've always been completely focused on her. But deep down, ever since she was a few months old, the one thing I've always wanted was to find someone who loves both of us. And then, suddenly, I meet Ashlyn and she's that and so much more. She becomes... everything to me. She's everything I've ever looked for in another person, in a partner. You and mom and Kyle have been so amazing for me, and I don't know how I would ever repay you guys for everything you've done for me," she says, reaching out to squeeze Ken's hand. "But I can't rely on you forever. I want to get married and have my family, and—"

"You're scared to lose her because you see all of that with her."

"It's stupid, right? I mean I haven't even known her for six months yet."

"I knew I was going to marry your mother after our second date," Ken chuckles. "There's no timeframe on falling in love, honey. When you know, you know."

Ali smiles. "Mom told me the same thing."

"Your mother is a wise woman."

Ali takes another sip of her coffee.

"Alex."

She looks up. Ken tilts his head in the direction of the front door.

"Go," he says quietly, "or you'll regret it."

Ali nods after a second, setting her mug down on the table and leaning over to kiss Ken on the cheek. "Thank you, dad."

She grabs her wallet, phone, and keys before rushing out the door.

 

* * *

 

There's a 24-hour WalMart a few blocks from their neighborhood, and Ali is positive she's not going to find anything of truly great quality, but it's the only place she can think of that will sell you a bouquet of flowers at 6:11am.

She frantically types on her phone at every safe opportunity between her house and the store, trying to figure out anything that will help her decide what to get. Because, with her luck, she'd show up with a bunch of flowers that meant 'go to hell'.

She finally reads something helpful, rushing in the store and picking up the bouquet that looks the prettiest and most apologetic.

"These are real nice," the young cashier comments as Ali swipes her card in the reader.

"Well, I was a real jerk," she deadpans.

"Good luck," is all he says as he hands her the receipt.

She pulls up to the curb outside of Ashlyn's building a short time later, taking a deep breath and sending her a text.

_Are you awake?_

Ali knows the answer is yes, because a few seconds later, the bubble pops up that tells her Ashlyn is typing. It takes a couple of minutes of the bubble appearing and disappearing, like Ashlyn can't decide what to say or even if she actually wants to answer, but she finally gets a response.

_Yeah, why?_

Instead of texting her back, Ali shoves her phone and wallet into the glove box, grabbing the flowers and locking the car. She looks at the key fob in her hand for a second, wondering where she's going to put it before sighing and stuffing it in the side of her sports bra and jogging into Ashlyn's building.

It takes her a couple of minutes to muster up the courage, but she finally raises her hand and knocks.

Ashlyn answers the door quicker than expected, surprisingly not looking shocked to see Ali on her doorstep. Her eyes are bloodshot and while she doesn't seem happy to see Ali, she doesn't look mad, either. Just... defeated.

"What, Ali?" she asks, voice gravelly and exhausted, but holding no malice.

Ali lifts the hand holding the bouquet.

"I bought these at WalMart?" is what she goes with as her opening line, and Ashlyn is not awake enough for this.

"What?"

"I couldn't sleep. And I went downstairs and I was in the kitchen and I remembered how I felt the first time we kissed and I decided I wasn't gonna let you leave without telling you how much I know I fucked up and that I'm so sorry."

Ashlyn's about to say something (probably "What?" again, Ali thinks), but Ali cuts her off.

"No, let me finish. So I get in the car and at every stoplight I'm Googling what kind of flower says ‘Please forgive me for the awful, uncalled for things I said when I was angry and defensive and scared of losing you' but nothing that's coming up is something I'm going to be able to buy at 6:00 in the morning. So I go in WalMart and I picked these and I don't even know what kind of flowers these are or what they mean, but they're purple and purple flowers are supposed to symbolize pride. So I got these because I am, Ash. I'm so proud of you."

Ashlyn just stares at her for a moment before she pokes her head out into the hallway, looking both ways to see if any of her neighbors have heard Ali's rambling. She doesn't see anyone, so she steps back, opening the door just enough so that Ali can fit through.

"Just come in here."

Ashlyn shuts the door softly behind them once they're inside the entryway, but she doesn't move or do anything to indicate that Ali is welcome any further into the apartment.

"Ash, you are going off to do this... _amazing_ , wonderful thing. A job you accepted with Molly and I in mind, even though I didn't see it that way. I honestly don't know how I am going to make this up to you, but I thought maybe this was a first step."

Ali holds the flowers out toward Ashlyn, who doesn't move to take them, just continues to look at Ali like she's trying to understand what's happening. Ali takes her silence as rejection, but she continues to ramble.

"And I just realized that I bought flowers for someone who may not even like them," Ali says, and Ashlyn hears her voice crack and knows the breakdown is coming. "I bought flowers for you when you're leaving to go to another country today and they're just... they're just gonna _die_ and this..."

Ali chokes out a sob, covering her mouth, and Ashlyn takes the bouquet from her, placing it on the hallway table. She turns back just as Ali's knees start to give out from under her, and she scoops her into her arms before she can hit the floor.  
  
"Whoa, whoa," Ashlyn says. "I've got you."

Ali just cries harder, inconsolable. She's trying to speak, but Ashlyn can only make out a word here or there.

"I— so... sorry... shouldn't... said..."

As much as Ashlyn is still hurting from Ali's words, it hurts her even more to see her like this. She hugs Ali tightly, trying to still her trembling body.

"Calm down. Take a deep breath, Ali."

Ashlyn has to fight the urge to say "it's okay", because it's not.

Ali's sobs eventually fade into sniffles and shaky, broken breaths. She lifts her head off Ashlyn's chest, wiping at her eyes until the blonde comes back into focus.

Ali doesn't think she's getting anywhere by talking, so she acts instead, taking a chance and reaching up to brush her thumb along Ashlyn's lower lip. She feels more than hears Ashlyn's shallow gasp, and she pushes up her toes to press their lips together, fingers still gentle against Ashlyn's chin.

Ashlyn eyes slip closed and she loses herself in the kiss for a few moments before she snaps out of it, pulling back and holding Ali at arm's length, hands on her shoulders.

"Alex, we can't," Ashlyn protests weakly.

" _Please_ ," Ali whispers, voice still thick. "You're leaving and I... I know I hurt you and it's going to take time for you to forgive me. But I can't lose you, Ashlyn. You need to know how much I love you. And I'm so, so sorry."

Ali can still see the pain clouding Ashlyn's eyes, but something else flickers behind them and before she knows it, Ashlyn has her against the wall.

It's immediately frantic.

Ashlyn presses her mouth to Ali's so hard that her head makes a dull thud against the wall. Ashlyn's way of apologizing is half-hearted; she puts her left hand between the crown of Ali's head and the wall for a brief moment, rubbing her palm over the spot before wrapping her fingers in her hair and tugging, exposing the long column of Ali's neck and attaching her mouth to her pulse point.

Ali whimpers. Her hands scramble for anything to hold onto, and they twist themselves into the fabric of Ashlyn's shirt.

Ali knows they should stop, knows that this feels wrong. Like simply fucking Ashlyn in the entryway of her apartment, hurting and sad and still a little angry, when she's flying to another continent in mere hours will erase the tender, emotional morning they shared in Ashlyn's bed. But she can't bring herself to do it, can't find it in her to push Ashlyn away. This is the polar opposite of their first time, but if this is the only chance she's going to have to be close to Ashlyn for three months, she's going to take it.

One of Ali's hands finds its way under Ashlyn's shirt, needing to feel skin, but Ashlyn immediately reaches for her, taking her wrist and pinning it between her back and the wall.

Ali's already wet, and if she could think clearly, she'd almost be ashamed.

Ashlyn wedges a thigh between Ali's legs, and Ali grinds down against her and her head swims. Ashlyn pushes up and Ali bites her lower lip. She shifts, and Ashlyn knows what Ali's going to do right before it happens, so she's thankfully prepared to grasp onto her when Ali hops a little higher against the wall and wraps her legs around Ashlyn's waist.

Ashlyn is grateful that Ali is in yoga pants, because there are no buttons to fumble with, no zippers to fight as she twists her wrist and pushes her hand past elastic and into wet heat.

" _God_ ," Ali grits out, jaw clenched. Her head falls forward and she bites at Ashlyn's shoulder, her mouth half-catching skin and the fabric of Ashlyn's shirt. Ashlyn hisses, fingers pressing harder into Ali in a sort of retaliation.

Ali moans, loud and desperate, and Ashlyn wishes she would throw her head back, because she wants to watch Ali's face as she unravels. But Ali is too far gone already, the nails of her left hand digging into the soft skin of Ashlyn's bicep, and Ashlyn decides this is better anyway, because if she looked into Ali's eyes now, she might just be crazy enough forgive her.

"Ash," Ali whimpers, "please."

Ashlyn curls her fingers roughly, and a few swipes of her thumb later, Ali keens and slumps against her, boneless and shaking. Ashlyn holds her up until the last tremor, then turns them around, putting her back to the wall and sliding down, Ali ending up in her lap.

They sit there panting for a few minutes, Ali's head on Ashlyn's shoulder and her legs still around her waist.

Ashlyn breaks the silence.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

 _Yes_ , Ali wants to say. _Yes, you did_. But she knows that's not what Ashlyn means.

"No, you didn't."

Ali brushes her fingers against Ashlyn's collarbone.

"I'm sorry."

"I know. I'm sorry, too."

"You're leaving me."

"I know. I'm coming back, though."

Ali doesn't say anything, just nods into Ashlyn's neck.

"Can you just... hold me? Just for a few minutes."

Ashlyn's arms wrap around her, and Ali closes her eyes, trying to soak up the moment. For a while, the only sound in the apartment is the soft whir of the ceiling fan.

"How much time do you have before you have to leave for the airport?" Ali mumbles after a bit.

"Like an hour. Why?"

Ali extracts herself from Ashlyn's arms, standing up and holding her hand out until Ashlyn takes it, and Ali helps her to her feet.

"Grab your keys. Let's go."

Ashlyn walks over the countertop without question, grabbing the keys to her Jeep and pulling a crew neck sweatshirt on.

Ali's already at the door when she walks back into the hall.

"Step two," she says.

 

* * *

 

Ken smiles from his place at the stove when he hears two sets of shoes being shucked at the front door.

"Hey Ashlyn," he says, hint of a smirk in his voice. He doesn't look up from the bacon he's cooking, but he knows they're in the doorway.

"Hi, Ken."

"She can't stay long," Ali says. "We're going up to see Molly and then she has to head to the airport."

"Stop by for a slice of bacon on your way out, okay?"

"Okay."

At the top of the stairs, Ali tugs Ashlyn towards her room after she had automatically headed for Molly's.

"In here. She's been sleeping with me."

Ali gently pushes the door open and Ashlyn follows quietly, not wanting to disturb Molly just yet.

"Are you sure?" Ashlyn whispers as they watch Molly, chest rising and falling. "If you think this will make it worse—"

"No," Ali says. "Please. I'm so sorry I said what I did. She will be so happy to see you."

Ashlyn walks over and carefully sits on the edge of Ali's bed. She reaches out, tenderly running a hand up and down Molly's arm until she opens her eyes.

"Hey, kiddo."

It takes a few seconds, but Molly finally registers who is sitting on the bed, and she gives Ashlyn a warm, sleepy smile.

"You didn't leave!"

Ashlyn's heart breaks all over again.

"I'm... I still have to go, Molly," Ashlyn says gently. "I just came to hug you and tell you bye."

Molly's chin quivers, and she buries her face back in her pillow and starts to cry.

Ashlyn pulls Molly into her arms.

"Please don't cry, sweetheart," Ashlyn says, her own eyes filling again. "I'm coming back, I promise."

"I don't want you to go!" Molly wails into Ashlyn's sweatshirt.

"I know. I'm gonna miss you so much, but it's only for a little while. And I'll talk to you every day. You and Mommy can still call me and send me pictures."

"But I can't hug you if you're not here," Molly says.

Ashlyn has an idea.

"Here," she says, pulling the crew neck over her head and putting it on Molly. "You can keep this safe for me while I'm gone, okay? Whenever you miss me or you're sad, you can put this on and give yourself a big, tight hug, and it's from me."

Molly nods. "Okay."

Ashlyn kisses the top of her head. "I love you to the moon and back."

"I love you to the back of the moon," Molly tries, and Ali laughs for the first time in days.

"You know what?" Ashlyn says, looking over at the clock on the nightstand. "I can stay for about ten more minutes. Can we cuddle until I have to go?"

Molly brightens at the idea, so Ashlyn crawls to the middle of the bed, laying down and holding her arms open for Molly to crawl into. She snuggles close to Ashlyn, still swimming in her sweatshirt, and Ashlyn closes her eyes. She cracks one open again a few seconds later when she doesn't feel the bed dip again.

"Come on, Mommy," she murmurs. "Can't cuddle without you."

Ali's heart feels like it might burst. She climbs into bed, getting as close to the two of them as she can, and she smiles into Molly's hair when she feels Ashlyn reach out and take her hand.

 

* * *

 

"Do you need a ride?" Ali asks on the front porch.

"I already scheduled an Uber," Ashlyn says, Molly still in her arms.

"Oh, okay."

"Not that I honestly wouldn't love for you to take me," Ashlyn insists. "Just... today has been a lot. Baby steps, for now."

Even though it hurts a little, Ali understands. "Yeah. Baby steps."

Ashlyn pulls her into a hug, Molly pressed between them.

"I love you," she says softly. "Everything's going to be okay."

Ali nods. "I love you, too."

"Okay, sweetheart," Ashlyn coos to the drowsy little girl in her arms. "Give me one more hug and then you need to go back to Mommy, okay?"

Molly squeezes her arms around Ashlyn's neck, then turns and holds her arms out for Ali to take her, nuzzling into her neck once she's securely in her arms.

Ashlyn gives Ali one last, long kiss before whispering, "I'll let you know when I get there," and heading down to her Jeep, Molly lifting her head as they watch Ashlyn get in without looking back.

"Mommy?" Molly says as the Jeep drives away.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sad."

Ali wraps her arms around her again, resting her head against Molly's.

"Me too, baby. Me too."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. i'm sorry!!!
> 
> 2\. i took... what i am sure are generous liberties with the parameters of residency programs and artist incomes but this is an au, after all. though purple flowers really do represent pride, from what i read, so that was not a corny nwsl joke.
> 
> 3\. who do you agree with? should ashlyn have talked to ali first? even in what was surely protective mama bear mode, do you think ali took it too far?
> 
> come talk to me (or, if you need to after this chapter, yell at me!) on [tumblr](http://twolittlesparks.tumblr.com)! y’all are the real mvps.


	9. ix.

To Ashlyn, her first week in Frankfurt seemed like the hardest of her life.

The fully-furnished apartment provided by the program was extremely helpful (though on one of her first days in town, she sees in Ikea while exploring and she's thankful for the option), but it doesn't feel right in the slightest. The bed is a little too big, the couch a little too small, the ceiling a little too low, everything off just enough seemingly everywhere she turned. With no work to distract her yet, she was having a much harder time adjusting than she anticipated.

What had been making her days bearable, though, were her FaceTime sessions with Ali and Molly. Her phone would ring at about 10:00 every night, and Molly would make a silly face or loudly yell "HI, ASHY!" in greeting, and anything that had gone awry or been bothering Ashlyn melted away. Molly would inevitably get bored and scamper off to play outside or upstairs with her dolls, but Ali would stay on the phone with her hours. She'd prop her phone up next to the stove while she cooked or on a pillow while she folded laundry on the bed until Ashlyn's eyes drooped and Ali had to fight her to go to sleep.

The next Monday brings Ashlyn's first work-related obligation: a dinner and mixer to allow all of the participating artists to meet each other. Ashlyn starts dreading it the minute she hears about it via e-mail the night before, and she tells (whines at, really) Ali as much during their nightly video chat, but Ali's having none of it.

"Oh, babe, come on," Ali chides gently. "You need to go! You need to meet a friend or two and eat some good food and drink some amazing beer."

"But I don't want to miss FaveTime!" Ashlyn pouts, using their inside joke stemming from a typo Ali made ("Oh my God, that's actually perfect because you're my faves!" Ashlyn had said, overly proud of herself).

"Ashlyn, you are six hours ahead of us. You can call us when you get home. I will certainly be awake and I'm sure Molly will be too."

"But—"

"But nothing!" Ali says, glaring, and Ashlyn cracks up.

"Is that your ‘because I'm the mom and I said so' face?"

"Hey!"

"Okay, okay, okay," Ashlyn wheezes, "I'll go."

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn had always heard the the old adage ‘You only get out what you put in', so she's not really surprised that she's having a miserable time not two hours into the mixer, still sitting alone at a table with most of her dinner still on her plate.

"May I sit?"

Ashlyn looks up and sees a redhead standing across the table. Ashlyn's immediate comparison (thanks to many nights of Disney movie marathons with Molly) is to Merida, the same bright blue eyes and unruly curls.

Ashlyn musters up a half smile and nods.

"You look a little lost," she says, and though her English seems good, she speaks with a thick accent.

"Just a little homesick," Ashlyn sighs, poking at the potato salad on her plate.

"Ah, you're American!" she says excitedly.

"Yeah!" Ashlyn says brightly, the woman's enthusiasm infectious. "I'm Ashlyn."

The woman sticks her hand out for Ashlyn to shake. "Léonie."

"That's beautiful. It's French?"

Léonie nods. "It means ‘lioness'. My mother must have known," she says, sticking her fingers in her hair and shaking her curls.

Léonie makes small talk about what she's expecting from the program with her as they finish their food, and Ashlyn really is interested in what she's saying, but she can't help glancing at her phone every minute or so.

"Are you alright? Are you waiting for something?"

"I'm so sorry," Ashlyn says. "I don't mean to be rude. Just normally I'd be expecting a call right about now."

Ashlyn presses the home button on her phone to check the time, and it lights up with a picture of her, Ali, and Molly. It was taken at the zoo, Molly on Ashlyn's back with her arms around her neck, smiling over her shoulder while Ali stood in front of them, head turned, pressing a kiss to the dimple on Ashlyn's cheek.

"Is that one yours?" Léonie asks, pointing to Molly.

"Yeah," Ashlyn smiles wistfully. "They're mine. My girlfriend and her daughter."

She feels the hot sting of tears at the back of her eyes, and a few slip out and down her cheeks before she can stop them. Léonie places a hand on top of hers sympathetically.

"Sorry," Ashlyn chuckles, dabbing her eyes with her shirt sleeve. "I just miss them. So much."

"She is very beautiful. Where did you meet her?"

Ashlyn smiles, scrolling through more pictures of them together. "Believe it or not, we sat in the same row on a plane about six months ago. Ali fell asleep and I ended up entertaining Molly for a part of the flight. Molly's 4th birthday was the next weekend, and they invited me to her party. I took Ali on our first date later that week."

"That is very sweet."

"Yeah. I'm sad that I won't get to spend my birthday or Thanksgiving and possibly even Christmas with them. But this opportunity... I needed to take it. And it took a few days, but Ali has been so supportive, especially when these first days have been so hard."

Léonie nods understandingly.

"But enough about me," Ashlyn digresses. "What about you?"

Léonie picks up her phone, swiping through the pictures, then turns the screen towards Ashlyn.

"Margot, my daughter," she says. A miniature version of Léonie stares up at her, same bright smile and wild, curly hair.

"Aww, she's precious. How old is she?"

"Six, last month," she says, swiping to another picture. "And this is my husband, Max. I was born in a little town near Paris, but I went to college in Munich and that is where we met."

They spend the next hour or so sharing pictures and stories about their families, and Ashlyn feels the ache in her chest ease a little.

Maybe Germany won't be so bad after all.

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn hears the FaceTime ringtone at exactly midnight Frankfurt time on her birthday a few weeks later.

She sits up in bed, reaching over to turn on the bedside lamp before accepting the call. Her heart flutters when Ali and Molly's faces, squished next to each other, fill the screen.

"Hey, you two!"

They launch into a terrible, off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday", but Ashlyn loves every second of it.

"Thank you," Ashlyn grins. "That was beautiful!"

"Ashy, are you 9 today?"

"A little more than that, but you're very close."

"Oh, so you're 10."

Ashlyn has to press her lips together to keep from cackling.

"Where are you guys?" Ashlyn asks, finally noticing that they're in Ali's car.

"Grocery store," Ali says. "Well, the parking lot. We sent mom inside already so she could get started. We had to call you at exactly midnight or else we wouldn't have been the first to say it."

"Are you gonna get lots of presents like I did?" Molly asks.

The question is completely innocent, but for Ashlyn, it's just another reminder that she's 4,000 miles away from home, without the woman she loves, without the sweet little girl who brightens her day, the friends she's made.

Her eyes well up.

Ali notices, and she turns to Molly, pointing somewhere off-screen.

"Baby, there's grandma. Go and see if she needs help carrying those bags, okay?"

Molly nods, hopping out of the car, and as soon as the door shuts, Ali looks back at the screen. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Ashlyn says, laying back down. "No."

"Honey," Ali breathes.

"I just miss you two, that's all. I didn't imagine I'd be spending my birthday without my favorite people."

"We wish we were with you right now, too," Ali says. "But try to have a good day, okay? Don't sit around by yourself and be sad. Go do at least one fun thing and then later, if you want? We can talk for hours, I promise."

If only temporarily, Ashlyn feels placated.

"What if I don't wanna _talk_ for hours?" she asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

Ali rolls her eyes, but she's smiling. "Maybe."

"C'mon, it's my birthday!"

"I'll see what I can do," she says.

Ashlyn pouts. "Fine."

"I love you," Ali says softly. "One day, this will just seem like a small blip on the radar. We'll make up for it."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now get some rest, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you for calling. I love you."

Ali puckers her lips, blowing her a kiss. "Goodnight, babe."

"Night."

 

* * *

 

Léonie calls Ashlyn later that morning, a few minutes past 9:00.

"Good morning, Ashlyn! We didn't wake you?"

"No, you didn't," Ashlyn says. "I've been up."

"We wanted to call and wish you a happy birthday!"

" _Alles gute zum geburtstag_ , Ashlyn!" she hears Margot yell in the background.

"If whatever she just said means ‘happy birthday', tell her thank you," Ashlyn says, smiling. "What are you guys doing today?"

"Margot and I have to run an errand this morning, but nothing for the rest of the day after that. We should be free in about an hour or so. Would you like to come meet us at the park? We don't want you to be alone on your birthday."

"We will buy you an ice cream!" Margot says.

Ashlyn knows that Ali was right, and that sitting in her apartment and moping about missing them isn't going to do any good, so she agrees.

At least she gets ice cream.

"Sure, I'll see you there about 10:15."

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn only waits for about five minutes before she spots Léonie, walking up with Margot right on her heels. Margot is already happily eating her chocolate ice cream cone, and Léonie has a vanilla cone in one hand and what looks like mint chocolate chip in the other.

"Here you go, birthday girl!" Léonie says, handing over the mint chocolate chip.

Ashlyn daringly takes a bite, brain freeze be damned, and then it dawns on her.

"How did you know this was my favorite?"

Léonie shrugs. "A good guess."

All three of them sit on the bench, people-watching and enjoying the ice cream. Margot finishes first, naturally, and after Léonie cleans her sticky hands with a wipe, she sends her off to play on the adjacent playground.

"You are lucky," Léonie says, "to have such a beautiful day for your birthday."

Ashlyn takes the last bite of her cone.

"You're right," she says. "Thank you for getting me out of the apartment today."

"Sometimes you just need to look around and appreciate everything. There is beauty where you least expect it."

Ashlyn looks out across the playground, lost in thought, when something suddenly catches her eye. She squints, convinced it's her mind playing tricks on her. She blinks once, twice, and nothing changes. She still can't quite believe it, so she reaches over and taps Léonie on the arm, not breaking her gaze for a second.

"Léonie."

The redhead smirks. "Yes, my friend?"

"Am I seeing things?" Ashlyn whispers, eyes beginning to water. "Please tell me I'm not seeing things."

"If you are asking me if I see them, too? Yes."

Ashlyn's hand flies up to her mouth when Molly and Ali wave at her from across the playground.

"Well, are you just going to stare at them all day?" Léonie laughs.

That springs Ashlyn into action.

She flies off the bench, weaving through parents and running children as fast as she can. When she gets close enough, Ali puts Molly down and nudges her forward, letting her run the rest of the way to Ashlyn, who scoops her up, spinning her around, clutching her tightly. Ashlyn's heart is on overdrive, pounding as she takes a deep breath, the smell of Molly's watermelon shampoo flooding her nose, and she feels whole for the first time since her plane left the ground in D.C.

"Surprise!" Molly giggles near her ear. She leans back to look at Ashlyn, and her face scrunches in concern when she notices the tears running down Ashlyn's face.

"Why are you crying? Are you sad?"

"No, no, no," Ashlyn insists, pulling her close again. "These are happy tears, sweetheart."

Ali has made it over to them now, impatiently bouncing on the balls of her feet. Ashlyn shifts Molly to her hip, and Ali reaches up, taking Ashlyn's face in her hands and kissing her soundly.

"Hi," she murmurs against Ashlyn's lips once they break apart, resting their foreheads together.

"How are you here?" Ashlyn asks through her tears.

"Happy birthday, babe," Ali says, her own eyes wet, as she tenderly brushes her fingers against Ashlyn's face.

Ashlyn just hugs the both of them to her, not moving until Molly squirms a minute later.

"I can't believe this," Ashlyn says as she sets Molly on the ground and hugs Ali again. "I love you both so much."

"We love you, too."

Ashlyn takes Molly's hand in her left as she laces the fingers of right hand with Ali's.

"Come over here, there's someone I want you guys to meet."

They walk across the playground, Ali's head resting against Ashlyn's shoulder, until they're back at the bench.

"Ali, I got some good ones!" Léonie says, holding up her camera.

Ashlyn's jaw drops. "You were in on this?!"

Léonie laughs. "Where do you think Margot and I went this morning? We had something to pick up at the airport!"

Ashlyn looks down at Ali, who just shrugs coyly.

"I got in touch with Léonie a few weeks ago — you gave me her number in case of emergencies, remember? Anyway, Dad happened to see this insanely cheap round-trip fare, and he just booked it, didn't even ask me. We came home from the grocery one day and he told us we were going to Frankfurt. So I immediately put Molly back in the car and we went and applied for passports that day and got them rushed. I think I cried for five minutes straight when I looked at the tickets and realized we were landing here on your birthday."

"Unbelievable," Ashlyn says, then lets go of Ali to go over and hug Léonie. "I can't thank you enough for helping. This means the world to me."

"You are so welcome. Now, go! Enjoy your day!" Léonie says, squeezing her one more time before going to join Margot on the playground.

Ashlyn squats down in front of Molly, tilting her head.

"Come on, kiddo. Hop on."

 

* * *

 

Picking Ali and Molly up and bringing them to the park wasn't the only thing Léonie had up her sleeve. At Ali's request, Léonie had given her a piece of paper that listed all the places she loved to take Margot, complete with which bus or subway stops were the closest.

"I can't believe you planned all this without me knowing," Ashlyn says, awestruck as they walk into the PalmenGarten hand-in-hand.

"It took everything in me not to tell you," Ali admits. "And it was even harder because I couldn't tell Molly, either! I was too scared she was going to spill the beans. When we talked to you at midnight, we were even in the airport parking lot and I hadn't told her everything yet," she says as they watch Molly, her eyes wide as she takes in the high glass ceiling. "But the look on your face was worth all of it."

"I seriously thought I was seeing things."

Ali laughs. "I could tell."

"Mommy, look!" Molly exclaims when they leave the main building and head outside to the rose garden. "Look at the pretty flowers!"

"Wow," Ali breathes, and not just for Molly's sake. Molly grabs her hand and pulls her (and Ashlyn, by extension) toward the circular fountain in the middle of the pathway.

"Can I have a penny so I can make a wish?"

Ali digs one out of her purse, and Ashlyn squats down next to Molly before she has a chance to toss it into the fountain.

"Did anyone ever teach you how to make a really good wish, Mol?"

Molly shakes her head. So Ashlyn turns, looking up at Ali.

"We need another penny, Mommy. I gotta show this girl how it's done."

Ali grins.

"Okay," Ashlyn starts once she has her own penny, "first, you have to rub the penny in between your hands to warm it up."

Molly follows along as Ashlyn rubs her palms together.

"Now you have to hold the penny over your heart, like this. That way the wish can jump from your heart to the penny."

"Does it hurt when the wish jumps out?"

"No, sweetheart, I promise. Now you have to close your eyes and think really hard about something you wish for. When you're done, you throw the penny into the fountain, okay?"

Molly nods, then squeezes her eyes closed tightly, scrunching up her nose and mouth with it for a few seconds before opening them and tossing the penny into the fountain.

"Awesome job!" Ashlyn praises her, holding her hand up for a high five. "Did you wish for something good?"

Molly nods. "I wished that—"

"Shhhh, no! It has to be a secret."

Molly furrows her brow. "Mommy says secrets aren't nice."

"This is an okay secret, baby," Ali cuts in. "When you make a wish, you keep it a secret until it comes true."

Molly is quiet for a few seconds, then she nods seriously.

"Okay, I locked it in my head."

Ali chuckles. "Good job, baby. Way to keep it safe."

As Molly and Ali start walking over towards the tropicarium, Ashlyn squeezes her eyes shut and throws her penny into the rippling water before jogging to catch up with them.

 

* * *

 

They arrive back at the apartment around 8:00, and Ashlyn feels like it's a little early to be this exhausted, but after the PalmenGarten, lunch at The Gerbermühle, and hours spent at the Senckenberg, she's wiped. Molly is snoring in an equally tired Ali's arms as they walk back into the bedroom.

Ali goes to get Molly a set of pajamas from their suitcase when she sees the multicolored gift bag on the floor, and she curses under her breath.

"What?" Ashlyn asks.

"Your birthday present," she says, gesturing to the bag.

"Alex, I can't believe you bought me something. The two of you being here is all that I wanted."

"I know, but we found something that I think you'll really like. Molly was so excited to give it to you. Can we open it in the morning? She'll be so sad if we don't wait for her."

"Of course," Ashlyn says, bending down to kiss her. "Like I said, I already got everything I wanted. The rest is just a bonus." She tosses her jacket over the chair in the corner of the room. "I'm gonna hop in the shower."

Ali lays Molly down on the bed and starts taking off her shoes. "Yeah, go ahead. I'll get her into some pajamas and get settled myself."

Ashlyn hangs a large, fluffy towel on the hook right outside the shower before opening the door and turning on the hot water. She undresses quickly, hopping around a little in the chilly bathroom until she sticks her hand back in the shower and deems the water warm enough for her to step under.

The warm spray relaxes her body, drops cascading over her sore muscles, and she shuts her eyes, sighing in delight.

She hasn't been standing under the spray for very long when she jumps as she feels a sudden shock of cool air, the soft _whoosh_ of the shower closing, and as soon as she turns around, a very naked Ali is pressing her against the shower wall.

She groans.

"It's still your birthday," Ali purrs, gliding slippery hands up Ashlyn's ribcage. "And technically I haven't given you anything yet. I told you I'd see what I could do."

Ali wraps her arms around Ashlyn's neck, pulling her down to her lips and stroking her tongue into her mouth. Ashlyn moans, suddenly far from tired, and she loses herself for a moment before she snaps out of it and breaks off the kiss.

"Alex," she gasps, "she's sleeping 15 feet away."

Ali bites at her earlobe. "Guess you'll have to be quiet then, won't you?"

"Fuck."

"Be patient, I'll get to that."

Ali starts biting and sucking on the spot under Ashlyn's left ear and Ashlyn arches her neck, giving Ali more room as her fingers find her hips and dig in so hard that Ali wonders if she'll have bruises there in the morning.

"I'm in love with a goddess," Ashlyn quips.

Ali just smirks, brushing a slick hand over Ashlyn's breast and rolling a nipple between her fingers. Ashlyn lolls her head forward, muffling her whimper in Ali's collarbone.

"Please," Ashlyn whines. "No teasing."

Ali, thankfully, takes pity on her, kissing and nipping her way down Ashlyn's stomach, running her nails down her thighs as she kneels on the floor and puts Ashlyn's right leg over her shoulder.

At the first touch of Ali's mouth, Ashlyn whimpers, one hand scrambling for purchase on the shower wall while the other combs into Ali's hair, grasping onto the dark, wet strands. Ali sucks, and Ashlyn can't help the strangled sound that escapes her throat.

Ali immediately stops, nipping at the tender skin of Ashlyn's inner thigh.

"Ashlyn, I swear to God, be quiet or I will stop."

" _Shit_ , I'm sorry, please don't."

Ashlyn, through great effort, does keep relatively quiet after that, even when Ali slips one, then two fingers into her and she thinks she might pass out. Ali doesn't take long before she hits a spot that nearly makes Ashlyn cry.

"Alex, there. I— you—"

Ali redoubles her efforts, squeezing a hand against Ashlyn's thigh. Ashlyn looks down at her and that's all it takes to send her over the edge. She shakes, throwing her head back, biting down on her thumb to keep from screaming as Ali holds her steady against the wall.

Once she stops seeing stars, she looks back down at Ali, who smirks, batting her eyelashes.

"Happy birthday," she says smugly.

Ashlyn growls, tugs Ali up from the shower floor and kisses her hard before spinning her around and pinning her to the wall. Ali gasps, amusement gone, as Ashlyn pushes the length of her body against her, brushing her hair to the side. Ashlyn wraps her arms around Ali's waist and sucks on her pulse point, and Ali presses up on her toes and tips her head back against Ashlyn's shoulder.

"Babe," Ali breathes.

"Hmmm?"

Ali takes one of Ashlyn's hands from her stomach and pulls it down.

"Hurry."

It's quick then. Ashlyn links her other hand with Ali's, pressing them against the shower wall. There are nimble fingers, and Ali would almost be furious at how well Ashlyn knows her body, what she likes after only a couple of times if it didn't feel so damn _good_.

It only takes a few minutes of Ashlyn's sure, steady touch before Ali's knees start to tremble. She breathes Ashlyn's name, and Ashlyn's fingers speed up just enough and Ali stiffens as Ashlyn presses her tighter against the wall, biting her lip to tamper down her quiet, shuddery moan.

They stay like that, panting, until Ali shivers.

"Water's getting cold," Ashlyn says, pressing a final, quick kiss to Ali's neck. "Come on, let me help."

Ashlyn quickly scrubs Ali's back for her before they switch, and Ali only swipes the washcloth over Ashlyn's skin a few times before she suddenly stops, and Ashlyn feels the gentle touch of her fingers.

"When did you get this?" Ali asks, reaching out and tracing the outline of the small crescent moon tattooed on Ashlyn's shoulder.

" _Zum mond und zurück, liebling_ ," Ashlyn murmurs as an answer, barely audible above the stream of the water, before Ali can even ask about the loopy script following the bend of the moon. "To the moon and back, sweetheart."

Even though Ashlyn can't see them, tears form in Ali's eyes.

"At least that's what Léonie assured me it meant," Ashlyn says, turning to face her. "I trust her, or else I'd be afraid it said something about a donkey or a loaf of bread."

Ali just kisses her.

 

* * *

 

Ali shuffles out of the bathroom a few minutes after Ashlyn, needing some extra time to complete her long nighttime regimen of washes and creams ("You'll be grateful I did this when we're sixty and I still have fantastic skin," Ali had said, and butterflies exploded in Ashlyn's stomach at her subconscious candor about them growing old together). Ali finds Ashlyn standing at the foot of the bed, and she wraps her arms around her from behind.

"She's gotten so big," Ashlyn whispers.

Molly's passed out in the middle of Ashlyn's king bed, adorably dwarfed by the large down comforter and the mountain of pillows. Ashlyn walks closer to climb in next to her, and her heart melts when she sees what Molly is hugging in her sleep.

"My sweatshirt."

Ali presses a kiss to the base of her neck.

"She's slept with it every night since you left," she says softly. "Sometimes with it on, sometimes she holds it. It's the cutest thing."

Ashlyn feels a twinge of sadness, and Ali can see it on her face.

"Hey, none of that, okay?" Ali says, then leans up to whisper in her ear. "Plus I just blew your damn mind in the shower, so you have _nothing_  to be sad about."

That puts a smile on Ashlyn's face, and she presses a kiss to Ali's temple as they both look back at Molly.

"Can she sleep between us?" Ashlyn says. "At least for tonight?"

"Missed her much?"

"Every second," Ashlyn says seriously before adding, "and I missed you almost as much." She winks, and Ali shakes her head.

"Are you sure you want to sleep next to her?" Ali asks as she walks to the other side of the bed, lifting the covers. "She gets sweaty sometimes."

"Don't care."

"She kicks."

"Can't wait."

They settle in next to her, Ali at her back and Ashlyn at her front, and Molly makes a soft little noise in her sleep. Her hand finds Ashlyn's shirt and she grabs on as Ashlyn scoots even closer, tucking Molly's head into her neck. Ali puts her head on the pillow next to Ashlyn's, kissing her sweetly and wrapping her arm around both of them.

"Thank you," Ashlyn whispers, "for the best birthday I could have hoped for."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there, see? i made it better! :)


	10. x.

Ashlyn wakes up to Molly poking her in the nose.

She doesn't open her eyes, though, just feigns sleep as Molly keeps squishing her nostrils. Finally, she scrunches her nose every time Molly presses, and Molly must catch on, because she starts giggling every time until Ashlyn finally opens her eyes.

"Wake up, wake up!" Molly says.

"I'm up, I'm up!" Ashlyn whispers. "But shhhh, don't wake Mommy up. She needs her beauty sleep."

"I take offense to that," comes the muffled reply from behind Molly's head.

"What's beauty sleep?" Molly asks.

"It means that Mommy slept so long it made her the most beautiful woman in the world."

"Decent save," Ali mumbles, lifting her head off the pillow to glare at Ashlyn. "I'll allow it."

Molly rolls over to look at Ali.

"Mommy, can I give Ashy our present now?"

"Sure, baby. It's right over there."

Ali instantly takes the spot Molly vacated, snuggling up to Ashlyn's side as Molly scrambles off the bed, grabbing the brightly-colored bag off the floor and handing it to Ashlyn, who helps her back up onto the bed.

"Give her that part first," Ali says, pointing to a rolled-up piece of white paper sticking out amongst the tissue.

Molly hands the paper to Ashlyn before going to sit on her other side, and Ashlyn unrolls it to find a "bouquet" of painted "flowers". Steady green lines (which she assumes were Ali's doing) end in Molly's tiny handprints in different colors at the top of each one. Molly had signed her name at the bottom in big, uncoordinated letters, a matching heart next to it.

"Sweetheart, this is beautiful," Ashlyn coos.

"She wanted to bring you real flowers, but I told her these flowers would live forever."

"Yeah," Ashlyn says. "These are the prettiest flowers I've ever gotten. Thank you, Mol."

"You're welcome!" Molly gives Ashlyn an exaggerated, smacking kiss on the cheek and Ali's heart melts. "Now open this one!"

Ashlyn digs through the tissue in the bag, pulling out a box with a picture of what looks like two large, orange gloves on the front. Before Ashlyn can even read what it is, Molly pipes up.

"They cook your hands!" Molly says proudly.

Ashlyn scrunches her eyebrows, looking at Ali with amusement.

"They're heated hand massaging mitts," Ali clarifies with a laugh. "They're supposed to relax your muscles and ease pain. You can adjust the vibrations and the heat level, and if you put lotion on first, they're a good way to do a deep moisturizing treatment on your hands."

"Wow," Ashlyn says.

"I wanted to get you something that you might actually use, and I didn't want to be cliché and buy you brushes or paints or pencils or something like that when I didn't even really know what you needed. But I know your hands bother you sometimes, and with all the drawing and painting you've already done and are going to be doing over the next couple of months, I thought they would help."

Ashlyn leans down and kisses her. "These are awesome. Thank you, babe. And you!" Ashlyn says, grabbing Molly and pulling her into her lap, peppering her face with kisses. "Thank you so much. You came up with such a great idea!"

"I have a good idea, too," Ali says. "I'm starving, so... breakfast?"

"Mommy is a genius," Ashlyn says to Molly. "How do you feel about... pancakes?!"

Molly shrieks, nearly tumbling off the bed when her foot gets caught in the sheets. She makes it out with Ashlyn's help and runs to the kitchen.

"I will take that as a yes." Ashlyn leans down to Ali again. "You coming, too?"

"So tired," Ali mumbles, burrowing down under the covers. "You'll bring me some, right? I'm too comfy."

"I guess," Ashlyn groans. "You're gonna miss all the fun, though!" she sing-songs, pressing a kiss to Ali's temple.

Ali just waves her off.

 

* * *

 

"What kind of pancakes do you want, kiddo?"

Molly thinks for a second, arms folded on the countertop, perched up even taller on the high-back bar stool by a pillow Ashlyn has her sitting on. "Princess pancakes!"

"What are princess pancakes?"

Molly shrugs. "Mommy makes them for me. And they're pink!"

"I can do that. They may not look just like Mommy's but I'll do my best, okay?"

Molly nods in approval.

"What kind of pancakes should we make for Mommy? Does she like princess pancakes, too?"

"Yes, but hers have to look like hearts."

"Why hearts?"

"Because you love her," Molly says, sounding slightly exasperated. Obviously.

" _Duh_ ," Ashlyn laughs. "Why didn't I think of that?"

" _Duh_ ," Molly imitates, and Ashlyn's afraid she's just opened up a huge can of worms.

Ashlyn digs through her cabinets, coming up with pancake mix and other ingredients she needs, but no food coloring. She opens the refrigerator and her eyes light up when she sees the strawberries she bought the other day. After she starts a pot of coffee brewing, she smashes half of the box of strawberries as Molly watches intently, pouring the juice into the batter and mixing it once she's satisfied with the amount. Molly claps when it turns pink.

True to her word, Ashlyn pours heart-shaped blobs of batter out beside the shapes she's making for Molly. Though she has to explain each one ("That's a shoe— all princesses need shoes! And that's her dress. No, that's not a mountain, it's a crown..."), Molly seems thoroughly delighted, even more so when Ashlyn tops them off with some sliced strawberries and a generous helping of syrup.

After she piles the plates, two mugs of coffee, and a glass of apple juice for Molly onto a small tray, they head back for the bedroom. Molly opens the door for Ashlyn, and Ashlyn shakes her head.

Even from the doorway, she can see the slow rise and fall of Ali's back, and she knows.

"Mommy fell back asleep."

"She's no fun," Molly grumbles.

"Come on," Ashlyn says, nodding back towards the kitchen. "I have an idea."

When Ali finally wakes up nearly an hour later, she immediately catches sight of the small pink piece of paper laying on top of her phone.

 _Molly and I went to meet Léonie and Margot at the park._  
_Breakfast and coffee are in the microwave, just warm them up when you're ready._  
_I love you._

 

* * *

 

"Margot! Come back!" Molly screams, giggling as she chases the little redhead around the playground.

Léonie chuckles at them, wide smile on her face. "They are having so much fun together. Margot will be sad when they head back home."

"Yeah," Ashlyn says sadly. "They're not even leaving for another six days and I'm already sad, too."

Léonie is about to ask Ashlyn about her and Ali's plans for the rest of their week together when they hear a scream from the playground. They look up in time to see Molly on the ground, her knee scraped and a little bloody. She looks at it in shock for a couple of seconds before she starts bawling.

"Molly!" Ashlyn gasps, jumping off the bench and jogging onto the play area. Molly hears her voice, but doesn't see her right away, whipping her head around, eyes searching until she finally sees Ashlyn. For some reason, that causes her to cry harder.

"M-mama!" she sobs, holding her arms out toward Ashlyn.

Ashlyn only allows herself to be thrown for a moment before she gathers Molly up into her arms, one arm under her knees and the other holding her tight, rubbing a hand up and down her arm.

"You're okay," Ashlyn murmurs. "I've got you, sweetheart."

"Margot, come," Léonie says, holding her hand out for her daughter. "Ashlyn, let's go to my car. I have bandages."

Thankfully Léonie is parked close, and when they reach her car, she pops open the hatchback and pats the inside. Ashlyn sits down, still soothing Molly as Léonie pulls a first aid kit out of a side pocket in the trunk. Ashlyn holds Molly in her lap, one arm wrapped around her waist, as Léonie puts a little hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball, handing it to Ashlyn.

"This is gonna hurt a little, okay?" Ashlyn says gently. "Can you be a big, brave girl for me?"

Molly nods, turning in Ashlyn's arms and burying her face in her neck. Ashlyn carefully dabs the liquid against the scrape, wincing a little herself as it bubbles in few places. Léonie waves her hand near Molly's knee, fanning it with cool air to ease the sting and Molly only lets out a tiny whimper.

Ashlyn rests her cheek against Molly's temple. "You did so good, sweetheart. I'm proud of you."

Molly's chin still trembles a bit, but she picks out one pink BandAid from the container Léonie holds out and lets Ashlyn pick the other color (blue). After she's all bandaged up, they walk back towards the playground, Margot heading straight for the monkey bars while Molly stays propped up on Ashlyn's hip, not ready to leave the comfort of her arms just yet.

After a few minutes of sitting in Ashlyn's lap back on the bench, Molly picks her head up.

"Do you feel a little better now?"

Molly nods. "Yeah."

"Do you wanna go back out and play with Margot some more or do you wanna go home and see Mommy?"

"Play with Margot," she mutters.

Ashlyn kisses her forehead. "Okay, up you go, then."

Molly runs back to the playground, seemingly her old self again once Margot notices her and waves her over to where she's sitting on the swings. Ashlyn's about to turn and say something to Léonie when her phone dings.

 _Thank you for breakfast, babe! You outdid yourself with the hearts. ;)_  
_Sorry I fell asleep after all that work. :(_  
_You guys having fun out there?_

Ashlyn types an excessive amount of kissy-face emojis. _Yeah, but we're heading back soon. Be thinking about things you might wanna do today!_

Ashlyn slips her phone into the pocket of her sweatshirt and looks back at Léonie.

"I did not know she called you Mama," she says intuitively. 

"I didn't either," Ashlyn says, looking back towards the playground, staring straight ahead.

Léonie's eyes widen. "Has she not done that before?"

Ashlyn shakes her head.

"Oh," Léonie says quietly. "Does that... upset you?"

"Not at all," Ashlyn says immediately, warmly. "I just don't know if it'll upset Ali."

"Ali loves you. Why would that upset her?"

Ashlyn shrugs. "Because I'm not her mom. I haven't raised her her whole life, fed her, carried her, held her while she cried."

"You just did," Léonie points out.

"Yeah, but..." Ashlyn doesn't really have a response to that, so she changes the subject. "I mean, how would you feel if one day, you and Max weren't together and Margot called some other woman 'Mama'?"

"That is different, Ashlyn," she says. "Molly has never had a second parent. You would not be replacing Ali or anyone else. You are filling a void. I mean, you see a future with them, right?"

That brings a smile to Ashlyn's face.

"I definitely plan on spending the rest of my life with them."

Léonie grins too, nudging Ashlyn with her shoulder. "Then what's the problem? Do you really think Molly is never going to think of you as her mother, too?"

Ashlyn sighs. "You're right. I'm just nervous because I have to tell Alex. And I just don't know how to... I don't know what I'm going to say."

"Just tell her the truth," Léonie offers. "But from what I have heard about her from you, and now that I have met her? I think upset is the last thing she will be."

 

* * *

 

Molly is happily chatting with Ashlyn when they walk through the front door. Ali, who had been reclining on the sofa reading, sits up when she sees them, smiling. The minute Molly's eyes land on her, though, the little girl bursts into tears again.

"Mommy!" she wails pitifully, running over to Ali.

"What happened? Why are you crying?" Ali asks, scooping Molly up and into her lap.

"I f-fell down," she sniffles.

Ali looks at Ashlyn confused, because Molly obviously didn't fall down between the front door and her lap and she seemed fine when they walked in.

"An hour ago," Ashlyn mouths. Ali nods understandingly.

"Where does it hurt, baby?"

Molly points to her knee, the two BandAids nearly covering the whole scrape.

"Awwww," Ali sympathizes. She bends to press a kiss to the top of Molly's knee. "I think a nap might be a good idea. You wanna go lay down? I'll come rub your back."

To Ali's surprise, Molly agrees immediately. They head to the bedroom, and Ali hangs back momentarily in the doorway, looking over at Ashlyn.

"Give me like 10 minutes, okay? She'll be out like a light."

Ashlyn nods, and when Ali disappears into the bedroom, she takes a few deep breaths to calm the nerves she feels rushing back.

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn is sitting on the sofa when Ali walks back in, shutting the door with a soft click behind her.

"She fought it for a few minutes, but I finally—" she stops suddenly, noticing Ashlyn's rigid posture. "Hey, you okay? You seem tense."

"Come here," Ashlyn says, beckoning her over to the sofa.

Ali's eyebrows knit together in concern and she walks over cautiously, sitting down next to Ashlyn and putting a hand on her thigh.

"Talk to me," Ali says softly.

"Last time I had something to tell you, I waited and it was a mistake. And if I don't tell you this now it's gonna eat at me and I don't know how you—"

"Whoa, Ash, slow down."

Another deep breath from Ashlyn.

"When Molly fell, she..." Ashlyn trails off, and Ali looks at her expectantly.

"Ashlyn, you're making me nervous."

"Well I'm nervous about telling you this!" Ashlyn squeaks.

"Okay, okay," Ali says, rubbing her thumb back and forth. "It's okay. Just tell me."

Ashlyn sighs.

"She called me Mama."

Ali's eyebrows raise, her eyes go a little wide, but other than that, her expression doesn't change.

"She did?"

Ashlyn is instantly defensive. "See, this is why I was nervous. I didn't want you to get upset."

"Honey," Ali says softly, reaching out and taking Ashlyn's hand, "I'm not upset." She stops and considers. "Wait, are _you_  upset?"

"No, Alex, I just—"

"I'll talk to her, okay? I'll explain—"

"No!" Ashlyn says quickly, and Ali jumps. "Sorry. No, don't... don't say anything to her. She just said it because she was hurt. But I wanted you to know."

It suddenly dawns on Ali, what's going on in Ashlyn's head.

"Ashlyn," she says gently. "You are the only person she's ever had that's not me or my parents. She loves you and she knows you love her. You make her pancakes, you take her to the zoo, you buy her ice cream... to her, that's what 'mom' does. She said that because she feels it."

Ashlyn is about to respond when Ali stops her.

"But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, okay? When she says it again, we'll address it."

Ashlyn nods (not missing how Ali says 'when' instead of 'if') and kisses her. "Thank you."

Later that night, while waiting for them to bring snacks in from the kitchen for movie night, Molly impatiently yells "Mommy! Ashy!" from the living room sofa, and Ashlyn has to hide her disappointment.

 

* * *

 

"This sucks," Ali grumbles.

Ashlyn snorts. "I know, but look at the bright side: we're halfway through. And I'll be home for Christmas."

The three of them are wrapped up in a tight hug near the entrance to the security line in the airport, Molly in Ashlyn's arms with Ali wrapped around them both. A monotone message plays over the PA system and pulls them back to reality.

"We really need to get in line," Ali says from where she's pressed to Ashlyn's neck.

"You've been saying that for 20 minutes."

"I know, but I mean it this time. We can't put this off any longer."

"Okay," Ashlyn whispers, setting Molly down on the ground.

"I don't want to go home," Molly pouts. "I was having fun."

Ashlyn kneels down until she's eye-level with Molly. "I know, I was having so much fun visiting with you, too. But I have to go paint some more pictures — you remember how I brought you and Mommy to my studio? — but after I'm done, I'm coming back home. First thing when I get back, I'll take you to the zoo and we'll go feed Bongo some lettuce, okay?"

"Alright," Molly pouts, and Ashlyn ruffles her hair.

"Be good for Mommy."

Ashlyn stands up, sighing as she looks at Ali, whose chin starts to tremble. Ashlyn wraps her in a tight hug, her mouth pressed near Ali's ear.

"Don't cry, babe," Ashlyn whispers. "If you cry, I'm going to cry and if we both start crying, Molly's gonna start crying and we'll make a scene." She feels Ali chuckle.

"Okay, I won't cry," Ali murmurs. Ashlyn pulls back just enough to connect their lips. They get a little lost in the kiss before Ashlyn finally pulls back.

"Okay, okay, go. I'll be home before you know it."

"I love you."

Ashlyn pecks her lips one more time. "I love you, too."

Ashlyn watches as they enter the line and slowly get further and further away. Ali grabs their bags off of the x-ray belt at the end, slipping her shoes back on before picking Molly up and finding a spot where they can stand and still see Ashlyn. Ali and Molly blow kisses toward her across the space, and Ali sets Molly down before looking back at Ashlyn one more time, mouthing 'I love you'.

Ali and Molly haven't made it five steps toward their gate before Ali's phone rings. She stares at it, confused for a few seconds before she picks up.

"Ash? Wha—"

"Move in with me."

Ali's mouth drops open.

"Alex?"

"W-what?"

"Can you— just—" Ashlyn says, standing up on her toes to see over the crowd of people in the security line until she finally spots the top of Ali's head. "Go to your right, I can't see you."

Ali takes Molly's hand, tugging her with her until there's a break where she can see Ashlyn again.

She smiles.

Ashlyn lets out a sigh of relief, smiling back.

"When I get back," Ashlyn says softly, and even though the phone can't truly capture the warmth of her voice, of her words, Ali feels them curl around her heart.

"Or whenever you're ready. I know it's kinda fast, but—"

"Babe, have we really taken any part of this relationship slow?"

Ashlyn laughs, but quickly turns serious again. "Alex, I know it's a big step, but having you two here with me this week... waking up with you and going to sleep with you and spending all the time in between with you without dreading you leaving to go home? When 'home' meant with me? It's been—" she chokes up a little, "the most amazing week. When I come home, I want to come home to you. To both of you."

Ali's swiping tears off her cheeks now, and Ashlyn can't make out what Molly's saying, but she can hear her concerned tone as she talks to Ali, who looks down at her.

"No, baby," Ali assures, "Ashlyn's not making me sad, I promise." She meets Ashlyn's eyes again across the checkpoint.

"You mean it?"

"I mean it more than anything," she says. "Whenever you're ready. We can pack up my art room and that can be Molly's room. I'll paint her a mural on the wall and everything, whatever she wants. Or we can find a new place together, I don't care. I just know that after how wonderful this week has been, I don't want to be without you two any longer than I have to."

"You know there are going to be times where one of us ends up on the couch." Ali, ever the realist.

"But at least I'll know that even if you're mad at me, you're just in the next room and not across town. Or an ocean."

She watches as Ali bites her bottom lip before moving the phone away from her ear, bending down to pick Molly up. Ali starts talking to her, and after a few moments, Ashlyn sees a giant smile break out on Molly's face, and she nods enthusiastically in response to whatever Ali's said to her. Molly looks over at Ashlyn and gives her a thumbs-up.

Ali puts the phone back to her ear.

"Ashlyn."

"Yeah?"

Ali grins, nose crinkling. "We'd love to."

"Yeah?" Ashlyn asks, voice bordering on disbelief.

Fresh tears spring to Ali's eyes.

"Yeah," she murmurs, then groans. "Damnit, why didn't you say all that before I went through security?"

"I wanted to ask you all... romantically once I got back. Candles, wine, the works. But I couldn't wait anymore. I really tried, though."

"Now all I want to do is kiss you and I don't have time to go through security again or else I'd come back out there."

Ashlyn laughs. "Bank it 'til I get home."

Ali smiles.

"Yeah. 'Til you get home."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after that w-i-l-d (and fun) showing tonight from the gals, i'm glad to post this so i can go decompress!
> 
> thank you all for sticking with me, even when it takes me a long time between updates. i do have two jobs and working as much as i do, it's hard to find time to write between work and life and everything. but i'm still enjoying writing this, so as long as you guys enjoy reading it, i'm gonna keep trucking. :)
> 
> let me know what you think! i also have a general idea of where this whole thing is going, but if there's anything you guys would like to see, feel free to let me know - i can't promise i'll work everything in, but i'll try!
> 
> yell @ me on [tumblr](http://twolittlesparks.tumblr.com)!


	11. xi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6,000+ words of CHRISTMAS-NESS.

Ali starts gently trying to wake Molly up at 6:15 on the day Ashlyn lands back in DC, a week before Christmas.

"Molly, baby. Come on, get up."

"Mommy, no," she groans. "Stop."

"We have to go to the airport, remember? Ashlyn’s coming home!"

Ali laughs as Molly forces her eyes open at the mention of Ashlyn's name. "Ashy's coming home?"

"Yep, sweet girl. Ashlyn's coming home."

 

* * *

 

_Landed! :) Meet you at baggage claim 4._

Ali reads Ashlyn's text for what feels like the hundredth time in the past five minutes, her gaze flittering between her phone and the escalator as another crowd comes down from the upper floor. Her heart leaps into her throat when she finally spots Ashlyn, backpack slung over her shoulder and looking as exhausted as she's ever seen her. Ali watches as her eyes scan the crowd, looking for them, and she knows the moment Ashlyn sees her. Her eyes light up, smile blooming across her face, and she breaks out into a jog. Ali takes Molly's hand, weaving them through the crowd until they meet Ashlyn in the middle.

Molly throws her arms around Ashlyn's right leg, clinging while Ali wraps hers around Ashlyn's neck, kissing her deeply, not caring about the stares they're getting.

"Wow. Hi."

"Hi," Ali giggles, kissing her again. "God, I missed you."

"If I'm going to get that kind of welcome home, I'll leave more often."

"Don't even joke about that," Ali says, eyes narrowing. "If you go anywhere for longer than a week ever again, we're coming with you."

"Noted. Hey, sweetheart!" Ashlyn says, reaching down to swoop Molly up into her arms.

"I missed you," Molly says, burying her face in Ashlyn's neck.

"I can guarantee you that I missed you just as much."

Fifteen minutes and two large suitcases later, they're in the car on their way to Ashlyn's apartment. Molly easily falls asleep again before they're even off of IAD property, and it makes Ashlyn smile. She rolls her head to the side to look over at Ali as she stops at the red light.

"I love you," she murmurs.

"I love you, too," Ali answers just as softly, leaning over to kiss her.

Once they pull out onto the freeway, Ashlyn takes Ali's right hand, bringing it to her lips before pulling it into her lap, holding it between her own and linking their fingers.

She doesn't let go for the entire thirty minute trip home.

 

* * *

 

"Home sweet home!"

Ali unlocks the door to Ashlyn's apartment, pulling suitcases in behind her, holding the door open so Ashlyn can enter (she had insisted on carrying a sleeping Molly inside, wanting to hold her at any and every given opportunity).

"Thank God," Ashlyn sighs they stand in the entryway, Ali carefully helping her shrug out of her coat before they work together to get Molly's off without waking her up. Shoes end up in a lazy heap near the door, suitcases and bags and purses abandoned.

"I'm so tired," Ashlyn murmurs. "Can we just go—"

Ashlyn stops in her tracks when she walks into the living room.

Everything is just as she left it, except there's a strand of garland running along the edge of the mantle, a large picture frame in the middle of the ledge. Three stockings hang from perfectly-spaced hooks, bows tied at the top.

First, a white stocking with silver snowflakes embroidered on it, "Ashlyn" stitched across the top cuff in blue thread. On the opposite end of the mantle, a red stocking with a sprig of holly, Ali's name in white, and in the middle, a pale pink stocking with a princess carriage on it and Molly's name in gold at the top. Right above Molly's stocking, the brushed silver frame holds a picture of the three of them on Ashlyn's birthday. Their waitress at the Gerbermühle had been kind enough to find a candle to stick in the top of Ashlyn's cheesecake crumble, and the picture had been taken right before Ashlyn blew it out, Molly sitting between them, half on each of their laps.

Ashlyn walks up to the mantle, running her fingers along the soft velvet of the stockings when Ali steps up behind her, wrapping her arms around Ashlyn's waist and pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

"Merry Christmas, babe."

"Alex," Ashlyn breathes. She wonders how she ever went as long as she did without loving someone like this, without having someone love _her_ like this. This sharp, encompassing feeling of peace and completion, like her life before Ali was dull, in black and white.

"You've done so many wonderful things for us," Ali says, sliding over to Ashlyn's side. "I know it's not much, but I wanted to do something for you. Something that was ours, together."

Ashlyn pulls Ali close with her free arm, hugging her tightly.

"This means everything to me."

Ali just rubs a hand along Ashlyn's spine, happy to be close, to have her home.

"Come on," she whispers after a few moments. "I believe you were about to ask about a nap?"

"Yes, please."

Ali pulls back the blankets on the bed, neither of them bothering to change out of the clothes they're in. Ashlyn goes to lay Molly down on the bed first, but Molly stirs, lets out the beginnings of a whine and clings tighter to her.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart," Ashlyn soothes, finally getting Molly to release the death grip on her neck so that she and Ali can climb into the bed. She pulls Molly back against her chest, curling around her protectively as Molly hugs Ashlyn's arm, laying on her hand like a pillow.

Ashlyn feels Ali slide in behind them, molding her body to hers and tangling their legs. Ali's arm is pleasantly heavy on Ashlyn's waist, her body warm against her back, her breath quickly becoming deep and even against the side of her neck.

All Ashlyn can think is _calm_ and _safe_ and _home_ , and though she usually isn't the little spoon type, as she drifts off to sleep, she decides that she can learn.

 

* * *

 

On the Wednesday before Christmas, Ashlyn convinces Ali to come with her to the mall so they can finish all their shopping together. After Ali tells her they could give Kyle the new pair of Ray-Bans she'd bought him together as a joint gift, Ashlyn figures the only person she has left to buy for is Molly, while Ali still needs something for her dad.

They are walking out of Sears, where Ali had bought Ken a home brewing kit, when Ashlyn strikes gold.

"Alex! The Disney Store! Come on!"

Ashlyn drags Ali inside, immediately taking the bag the bubbly teenager standing at the front door offers her, and she makes a beeline for the wall full of glittery princess dresses.

"She is going to lose her mind," Ashlyn gushes. "She doesn't have any of these, does she?"

"She had a Cinderella one that she grew out of, but it was from WalMart, really cheap. She's... never had one like this before, they're like $50."

"I need to get her Belle. She's like a 4, right? Or a 5? And what size shoe is she? I should know this," Ashlyn rambles, grabbing the coordinating crown and wand and accessory set (complete with white gloves embellished with tiny pink roses) without a second thought.

"I think the 5 is good. It won't be too big on her, but she can wear it longer. And she's an 11 in shoes. But, Ashlyn..."

"Oh my God, _Al_ , look at all these!" Ashlyn exclaims, handing the dress to Ali and stuffing the shoes into the shopping bag. She walks up to a large wall display of Barbie-style dolls, every princess imaginable and the coordinating prince to go with her.

"Okay, I have to get Merida, she'll get a kick out of it because she looks like Léonie and also because Merida was a badass that didn't need a prince — I'm still going with the theory that she shoots for the ladies' hands, though. She needs Belle and the Beast, of course. Ohhh, Snow White! Aurora, too. Cinderella..." Ashlyn names, dropping each one down in the bag.

"Slow down, babe," Ali says.

One of the employees walks up to them then, empty shopping bag hanging from her finger. "Do you ladies need a fresh bag? I can take that full one to the register for you!"

"Thank you!" Ashlyn says.

Ashlyn heads to the wall of stuffed animals, pulling down a dalmatian puppy, Mickey and Minnie, Stitch, Olaf, and Winnie the Pooh before heading back to the middle of the store, stopping at the t-shirt table when Ali puts a hand on her arm.

"Ashlyn, this is too much."

"Alex, it's not a problem," Ashlyn says as she unfolds a Tinkerbell shirt. "I have the money, and I—"

"No, Ashlyn, I mean... this is _too much_. You, you can't buy all of this for her," she says as gently as she can. She hates the harsh, immediate way Ashlyn's face falls moments later and how her whole body seems to deflate.

"Oh," she says. "I guess I shouldn't have assumed."

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" Ashlyn says, slight edge to her voice, though Ali can't tell if it's from hurt or anger.

Ali looks around, thankful that the store is pretty empty this early in the morning, even if it is a few days before Christmas. There are a handful of other people shopping, though, so she looks for a empty, quiet area.

"Come here."

She takes Ashlyn's hand and leads her to the back of the store, and they stand in the corner, in a small area between a round rack of clearance t-shirts and the wall.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Ashlyn."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not fine. You're upset with me and you didn't even give me a chance to explain."

"You don't want me buying her things. What is there to explain?"

"Would you stop putting words in my mouth and just listen to me?"

Ashlyn takes a few deep breaths to calm herself down before nodding to Ali.

"Go ahead."

"It's just that I've been taking care of Molly and not working basically since she was born. I have money, but it's... finite. In LA, Kyle helped, and since I moved back home, my parents have been providing so much support. But it's... embarrassing."

"What's embarrassing?"

"That the only reason I'm able to do nice things is because I have help. If I didn't have all this help, things would be so different. I would be struggling to afford what we need, much less what we want."

Ashlyn instantly feels terrible, mad at herself for the thought not even beginning to cross her mind. "Alex—"

"I've never let anyone go over the top for her. Because if there's ever a day when it's just me and her, I won't be able to afford to give her a lot, and..." her voice cracks, and she swallows hard. "I don't want to disappoint her. I don't want to let her down."

Ali's eyes are shining, tears threatening to fall, and Ashlyn pulls her into a hug, dropping the shopping bag to the floor.

"Hey," she says softly near Ali's ear. "First of all, you could never let that girl down, okay? She loves you more than anything. And second... what makes you think it'll ever be just you and her? You have your parents, your brother, and you have me. For as long as you want me."

Ali smiles wetly. "I'll always want you," she mumbles, extending an olive branch.

Ashlyn loosens her hold on Ali, pulling back to look her in the eyes, cupping her cheek.

"I'm sorry, okay? I'll go put it all back. I can find her a little something somewhere else." She picks up the bag, moving to head to the front of the store, but Ali clasps her wrist before she can get away.

"Ash."

Ashlyn looks back toward her.

"This means a lot to you, doesn't it?" she asks, wiping at her eyes.

Ashlyn sighs. "I didn't have a ton growing up. Christmas, if we really had a Christmas at all, was meager at best. So I guess I just want to do my part to give her the amazing Christmas morning I never had, because I love her and I want to give her the best things that I can and do the best I can for her, always. So would it mean a lot to me to do this for Molly? Yes. But I don't want to do it if it upsets you or makes you uncomfortable."

Ali sighs, moving her hand down from Ashlyn's wrist to intertwine their fingers. She gives her a small smile, squeezing her hand. "Go for it."

"You mean it? You're not going to be mad at me or regret this later?"

"I promise I won't," Ali says. "Seeing my two favorite girls happy is all I want."

Ashlyn kisses her sweetly before dragging her over to the pajama wall and picking up nearly every nightgown offered in Molly's size. She even convinces Ali to get a few things for herself; she picks out a Little Mermaid shirt, a cute Mickey Mouse sleep set, and a new mug (Minnie Mouse, looking drowsy with hair rollers, droopy eyes and a sleep mask, saying "Mornings aren't pretty!").

They walk out of the store three huge bags and nearly $400 later.

 

* * *

 

"Mom, we're here!" Ali calls out as she and Ashlyn make their way in the front door, hands full of grocery bags.

"Ahhh, where is she?!" they hear Deb squeal from the living room. They walk through the foyer and into the room, and Ashlyn's mouth drops open when she sees all the decorations they have out.

"Oh Ashlyn, honey, welcome home! We missed you so much! How are you feeling?" Deb says, engulfing Ashlyn in an almost-too-tight hug. "I can't believe you got home almost a week ago and Christmas Eve is the first time Alex has dragged you back over here!"

"You know I was helping her unpack and get settled so she could get some rest, Mom," Ali defends, but Deb waves her off.

"I missed you guys, too," Ashlyn says, letting herself be squeezed until Deb lets her go to kitchen to set the bags on the counter. "And besides the leftover jet lag, I'm awesome." She walks back in the living room, getting a chance to really take everything in. Deb has a collection of nutcrackers sitting on the mantle above the row of stockings, and there's a fire roaring in the hearth below. The eight-foot Christmas tree is covered in ornaments, wrapped in multi-colored lights, and there are already a good amount of presents underneath.

"Deb, it looks amazing in here!"

"Well, we go all out for Christmas!"

Ali's heart melts at the childlike wonder in Ashlyn's eyes, even though it's a reminder of all the things Ashlyn never got to experience as a kid. Ali wonders if she'd ever had a real Christmas tree, if she'd ever sat around on Christmas morning, laughing with her brother as they opened presents and drank hot chocolate while _It's a Wonderful Life_ played in the background.

The door from the garage opens then, and Molly and Kyle, who Ashlyn recognizes from the seemingly millions of pictures she's seen of him, step into the mud room. Molly, knit hat and coat dusted with snowflakes, sees Ashlyn and beams, taking off towards her for a hug, but only getting a few wet steps into the kitchen before Ali stops her.

"Boots, young lady!" she reminds her, and Molly takes a few steps backward into the mud room, holding each foot up for Kyle to unlace and pull off her boots. "Coat, too, munchkin," he says, pulling it off along with her hat as well. Molly goes over to Ashlyn, greeting her with a hug and kiss before going over to snuggle up to Ali.

"Ashlyn!" Kyle says excitedly, familiarity in his voice. "I've heard so much about you!"

"Likewise!" Ashlyn says, sticking her hand out to shake Kyle's, but he swats it away.

"Girl, please. We hug in this family," he says, wrapping his arms around her, and she's convinced now that every member of the Krieger family is a hugging expert.

"Molly, love, come help me with the cookies!" Deb says from the kitchen. Molly darts off of Ali's lap and into the kitchen, knowing that whoever helps Deb with the baking process gets to be the taste taster once they're done.

Ashlyn takes to exploring the living room again, Kyle having excused himself to shower and change into more comfortable clothes. She smiles as she walks up to the fireplace, studying each of the nutcrackers on the ledge before looking down at the six matching stockings, each with a rosy-cheeked Santa Claus embroidered on the front and their names at the top: Ken, Deb, Kyle, Alex, Molly, and—

"Ash?" Ali says from beside her, having noticed her staring. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she says, grin wide and bright across her face. "Your mom still in the kitchen?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Hang on," Ashlyn says, jogging over to the doorway until she can see into the kitchen.

"Deb?"

Deb looks up from where she's rolling out cookie dough, smiling when she sees her. Ashlyn rushes over to her, wrapping her up in a tight hug and trying to keep her tears at bay.

"Thank you. For my stocking. For everything."

Deb's face softens from surprise to understanding, hugging Ashlyn back as best she can without getting flour and dough on her.

"Of course, honey. You're a part of the family now."

 

* * *

 

Later that night, after everyone is bathed and ready for bed, they all reconvene in the kitchen for a Christmas Eve tradition of Deb's homemade hot cocoa with whipped cream and marshmallows before bed. Ali takes her mug and sits on the loveseat next to the tree, cupping her hands around the warm ceramic, taking a slow sip and sighing in approval as Kyle comes over to join her.

"First sip is always the best," he says, squeezing in next to her.

"Every time," she agrees.

Her eyes drift back to the kitchen to where Ashlyn and Molly are sitting next to each other at the counter, Deb and Ken standing nearby. Ashlyn squirts far too much whipped cream on top of her cup, and Molly's eyes get huge. Ashlyn takes a spoon and plops half of her share onto Molly's cup before picking hers up and taking a sip.

When she brings the cup down, she has a deliberate line of whipped cream on her upper lip. Molly giggles at Ashlyn's "mustache", and Ali watches them adoringly, her eyes soft and warm.

Kyle nudges her with his elbow.

"You could spare us a little and turn down the goo-goo eyes you've got going on."

"Oh, stop," she says, bumping him with her shoulder, but never denying it.

He watches the smile on her face grow again when Molly mimics Ashlyn, and Ashlyn throws her head back, their twin peals of laughter echoing in the kitchen.

"She's the one, isn't she."

It's not a question, but a statement.

The idea should make her nervous, Ali thinks. It should scare her a little, or a lot, thinking about the fact that she knows she undoubtedly wants to spend the rest of her life with Ashlyn. That somewhere down the line, Ashlyn became a fact of life, a given, a constant. It's not only that, of course, but the fact that her daughter, the most important person in her world, loves her, too.

She's convinced Kyle can hear the happy _thump-thump-thump_ of her heart in her chest.

"Yeah," she sighs, and Kyle wraps his arm around her shoulder. "She is."

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn nearly has a heart attack when the alarm on Ali's phone goes off at 3:00 in the morning.

Ali lets out an ungraceful snort, hand reaching out and feeling around the nightstand until she comes up with it. She squints her eyes, trying to get them to focus enough so that she can type her password in.

"Turn it off," Ashlyn groans.

"I'm trying!" Ali snaps.

Ashlyn covers her head with a pillow.

Ali gets out of bed, shivering at the absence of Ashlyn's body heat while she puts on the pair of fuzzy socks she left on the floor at the foot of the bed. After stealing the hoodie Ashlyn had left draped over the chair, she leans back over the bed, rubbing a soothing hand up and down Ashlyn's forearm.

"Come on, babe, get up."

"Get up?! Wha— what time is it?"

"It's 3:00. We need to go put Molly's presents out."

"I'm so tired," Ashlyn says, still half-asleep.

"Hey, you bought all that crap for her! You are getting up to help!" Ali hisses.

"Alex," Ashlyn whines.

"This comes with the territory when you have a child. Now," she pulls the covers off of Ashlyn, who whimpers and immediately curls into a ball, "get your ass up." Ali sleepily (grumpily) shuffles her way out of the bedroom.

Ashlyn sits up then, a smile tugging at her lips. She's not sure if Ali realizes she's doing it, making the subtle implications that Molly is hers, too. If she's being honest, Ashlyn feels more and more like a mother each day; every time Molly holds her hand, or hugs her tight, or falls asleep curled up next to her, Ashlyn feels it, and she thinks Molly feels it, too.

Ashlyn meets Ali downstairs, where she's already pulling presents out from the back of the coat closet. They work together, Ali putting a pile of presents in Ashlyn's arms, Ashlyn moving them across the living room before returning for another stack. Once they have all the presents near the tree, Ali glances over at the fireplace, and she remembers.

"Are you gonna eat those, or do I have to?" she asks, pointing to the plate of cookies and glass of milk.

"It's the middle of the night, Al. I don't wanna brush my teeth again. Can't we just, I don't know, throw them away?"

"No way. Last year, Kyle and I 'just threw them away', didn't leave any crumbs. I won't be making that mistake again."

"Wrath of Deb?"

"Oh boy, you have no idea."

"Can I at least sit down and enjoy it?"

"We need to get this done. I'm tired and you know she's gonna wake us up in like five hours, max. Eat while you work."

Ashlyn rubs at her eyes, walking over to the fireplace and taking a big bite out of one of the cookies, chewing lazily before perking up a little.

"Damn, your mom made these? These are the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever eaten."

"Ashlyn, I swear—"

"Okay, okay," she says before stuffing the rest of the cookie into her mouth.

Ali snickers under her breath as Ashlyn goes over to fill Molly's stocking, trying to chew way too much cookie as she attempts to put the Belle wand in when there's resistance.

"Hey, there's already stuff in here!" Ashlyn says, muffled until she swallows the last bite of the cookie. "And there's stuff in mine, too!" she adds, reaching for her own stocking.

"No peeking!" Ali scolds, swatting at her hand.

"No fun," Ashlyn grumbles.

Ashlyn hangs the Belle dress up on the edge of the mantle, putting the Belle and Beast dolls on a chair underneath next to the costume shoes. Ali takes charge of her parents' gifts as well as Kyle's, arranging them in neat stacks.

It takes them about ten minutes before Ali stops fiddling with the boxes. Ashlyn steps back, moving towards the sofa and sitting down, holding her arm up for Ali to join her.

"Come here, make sure it looks good."

Ali walks over and sinks down on the cushion beside her, admiring their work. It _does_ look good, she has to admit, especially Molly's pile, all wrapped in Disney princess paper, intricate bows tied with silver ribbon ("Babe, how many hours did you spend on Pinterest learning how to do that?" had earned Ashlyn a painful pinch to the arm).

"We did great," Ali murmurs, leaning her head on Ashlyn's shoulder. "This is going to be the best Christmas we've ever had. It's only ever been us, but now? We have another member of the family to love. And when Molly sees all this, she honestly isn't going to know what to do with herself." She looks at the piles of presents, sighing happily. "But I already got the best present I'm going to get this year."

"Please don't say me."

Ali pokes her in the ribs. "Yes, it's you."

"That's cheesy and also? I call bullshit."

"Hey, I'm being serious," Ali says, looking up at her. "You have taken care of Molly since the day you met her, when we were still strangers. There's nothing you can do for a mother that means more to her than that. At least for me there isn't. You love her like she's your own, you take her to do fun things, you comfort her... you go way above and beyond for her and I never want you to think I take that lightly." She's serious for another moment before she quirks her mouth. "The fact that you couldn't resist and fell in love with me, too? I'm just very lucky."

Ashlyn chuckles, tightening her hold. They sit curled up together for a little while, until Ashlyn's eyes start to droop and she notices Ali starting to feel like dead weight against her.

"Let's go back to bed," Ashlyn says, kissing Ali's forehead and standing, offering her a hand up off the couch. "I don't wanna fall asleep down here and miss out on her jumping on the bed to tell us Santa came."

Ashlyn flicks off the lamp on the end table, leaving the living room bathed only in the soft glow of the Christmas tree. She starts to head for the stairs, yawning, when she hears Ali's voice. It's soft, but the house is so quiet that Ashlyn has no trouble hearing her.

"Come here."

Ashlyn turns around, poking her head back into the living room, and she wishes she had a camera because the hazy glimmer from the tree behind Ali makes her look like an angel. Ashlyn lets out a short, breathy laugh, like she can't believe Ali is considering doing anything but going right back up to bed.

"C'mon," Ali mumbles, nodding her head upwards. "She's gonna be around all the time and I know you love her, but trust me, there will come a time when you wish she'd just go away for five minutes." She holds out her arms, pouting. "Please? We're alone. And it's Christmas."

Ashlyn can't think of a universe in which she'd say no.

Ali gets a triumphant, albeit sleepy grin on her face as Ashlyn shuffles back towards her. She wraps her arms around Ashlyn's neck, stretching up on her toes to kiss her, long and lazy, as Ashlyn arms find her waist.

"Thank you," she says, fingers playing with the fine hairs at the nape of Ashlyn's neck.

"Like I was gonna say no."

Ali laughs, pressing their cheeks together.

Ashlyn starts softly humming "Silent Night" against the shell of her ear as she sways them back and forth, and Ali smiles.

 

* * *

 

"MOMMY! ASHY!"

Ali and Ashlyn barely have time to anticipate being tackled by the 4-year-old before she flops on top of them, accidentally whacking Ali in the head with Bubbles.

"Can we go see if Santa came?!"

"Yeah, sweet girl. Go make your bed and then come back in here, and we'll go wake grandma and grandpa and Uncle Kyle up," Ali bargains, wanting a couple more minutes to relax next to Ashlyn. Molly quickly slides off the bed and runs back down the hall.

Ali rolls on her side to face Ashlyn, kissing the tip of her nose before moving down to her lips. She takes Ashlyn's face in her hands, deepening the kiss momentarily, pressing her body against her.

"Mmmmm," Ashlyn hums against her lips. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas. Already the best one yet."

Ashlyn grins, leaning in to kiss Ali again, and she's about to roll on top of her when they hear footsteps thumping back toward them. Ashlyn whines as she buries her face in Ali's neck.

Ali laughs. "See? I told you."

"Okay, I did it! Let's go!" Molly yells, bursting back into the room.

"Wait for us, baby. We're getting up," Ali says as they crawl out of bed. Ali grabs her glasses from the nightstand, putting them on and retying her messy bun as Ashlyn rummages through the chest of drawers to find a sweatshirt since Ali is still wearing hers. She finally finds one, slipping it over her head and grabbing both of their phones, handing Ali hers.

"Ready, Mommy?" Ashlyn asks.

"Yeah," Ali says through a yawn. "Ready for coffee."

When they get to the bottom of the stairs, Ashlyn opens the camera on her phone, recording as Molly runs into the living room and immediately screams at the sight of the dress hanging on the mantle.

"Santa brought me A BELLE DRESS! GRANDMA! GRANDPA!" she shrieks, running down the hall to Deb and Ken's room. She bounds back in not a minute later.

"Mommy, help me put it on, please! Please!" she says, jumping up and down.

"I'll help you, but after we're done opening presents, we're gonna take a break without the dress on, okay? Grandma doesn't need glitter all over the house. You can put it back on later, deal?"

"Yes, deal!" Molly agrees, already cooperatively lifting her arms straight in the air to aid Ali.

"Oh, love, it's beautiful," Deb compliments, walking into the living room just as Ali is stepping back after adjusting the gown. "You're the prettiest princess I've ever seen!"

"I know!"

" _So_  your daughter," Ashlyn mutters to Ali under her breath. Ali scrunches her nose.

"I'll start the coffee," Deb says to them, kissing each on the cheek as she passes to head to the kitchen. "Merry Christmas, girls."

"Merry Christmas," they both echo, fixated on Molly as she happily twirls around.

 

* * *

 

After mugs of coffee have been passed out and seating arrangements decided (Ashlyn and Ali cuddled close on the loveseat, Ken in his recliner, Kyle and Molly sitting cross-legged in front of the tree as if there's no age difference between them), Deb takes her normal seat beside the tree in her perpetual role as present distributor.

"Okay, let's all see what we got from Santa!"

Ken is thrilled with the combination of the home brew kit from Ali and the beer stein Ashlyn had bought for him in Bamberg, and Deb can't stop gushing over the large painting of their house, covered in snow, that Ashlyn had kept hidden in Ali's closet since the summer.

Deb, Ken, and Kyle are assembling Molly's pink princess castle tent (a gift from Kyle) when Ali nudges Ashlyn.

"Reach under there and grab that envelope for me?"

Ashlyn hands Ali her mug before bending over the arm of the couch, quickly seeing the white envelope under the tree with her name written on it in Ali's distinctive script, picking it up along with her gift for Ali, which she stuffs in the front pocket of her sweatshirt. She holds the envelope out in exchange for her coffee mug back, but Ali simply returns her coffee, letting Ashlyn keep the envelope.

"You go first," she says, hushed so that they don't attract the attention of everyone else.

"What if I want you to go first?"

"Ashlynnnn."

"Okay, okay," she says, lifting the edge and pulling out two pieces of paper, one taped and one not.

"Open that one first. The taped one goes second."

Ashlyn unfolds the first paper, seeing a reservation for New Year's Eve at the Watergate Hotel.

"Are you serious?" she says, awestruck.

"Yep. Just you and me, a suite, and a view of the Potomac."

Ashlyn sighs. "Alone time."

Ali smirks. "You'll be grateful for the alone time once you open that one," she says, pointing to the taped paper. Ashlyn squints at her, ripping the tape and opening it, nearly choking on her coffee when she sees what's on it.

"Holy— _Jesus_ —" Ashlyn hisses quietly, blushing and stuffing the paper back in the envelope. "What are you trying to do, kill me?"

Ali puts her mouth near Ashlyn's ear. "And it's not even on me yet. That's the other part of your present that you'll get after we check in."

"You're gonna be the death of me."

"Most likely."

Ashlyn kisses her. "Thank you. I can't wait to... unwrap my gift."

"Neither can I," Ali says. Between Ashlyn's jet lag and exhaustion, unpacking, and Christmas preparations, they'd only had sex once since Ashlyn got back, a quick little romp on Ashlyn's sofa (the only available place) while they waited for their Chinese food delivery amongst boxes and boxes of Ashlyn's belongings.

"Well, mine won't hold a candle to yours, but Merry Christmas," Ashlyn whispers, pulling out a small black box from the pocket of her sweatshirt. "And don't freak out, this isn't... _that_."

Ali would never admit it, but the feelings that wash over her are equal parts relieved and disappointed. Before she has a chance to open the box, Ashlyn leans over to whisper in her ear.

"When I'm gonna do that, you'll know."

Ali just blushes, eyes sparkling as she looks over at Ashlyn.

"Well, open it."

Ali's hands shake just slightly as she opens the box, revealing two sterling silver rings, each engraved with "I love you."

Ali's chin trembles. "Are these..."

"My handwriting and Molly's handwriting? Yeah."

"How..."

"One of Léonie's friends makes custom engraved jewelry. One day, when you guys visited me for my birthday, you were taking a shower, so I had time to help Molly write that on a piece of paper. Then I wrote it, too, and gave them to Léonie to pass off and two weeks later, ta-da."

"Ashlyn," Ali breathes, words failing her.

"And they're stackable, too," Ashlyn adds, still softly enough that no one else in the room can hear her. "So you can always add more. You know, if—"

Ali kisses her as chastely as she can muster with her family present. It's definitely not chaste by normal standards, though, and Kyle notices.

"Geez, what'd she give you to deserve _that_ thank you?" he teases.

Kyle and Deb both gasp dramatically when they see the little black box in Ali's hand, even as she says "It's not an engagement ring!"

 

* * *

 

At 10:00, Deb flips the channel to put on the Disney Christmas Day Parade just as Molly and Ali come back down the stairs, Belle dress now hung up in Molly's closet in favor of one of the her new nightgowns from Ashlyn. Molly climbs up onto the loveseat, sitting in Ashlyn's lap and laying back, resting her head on Ashlyn's shoulder. Ali sits down on Ashlyn's right, curling against her side as Ashlyn brings a hand up to play with her hair, scratching gently at her scalp.

About fifteen minutes into the broadcast, Ashlyn goes to point out the Frozen float to Molly when she hears a soft snore.

"Oh my God," Ashlyn chuckles, looking down and seeing Molly slack-mouthed, fast asleep.

"She had a big, exciting morning."

"She really did, didn't she?"

"We all did. I'm so happy."

"Me too. Best Christmas ever. Thank you."

"Always," Ali mumbles. "Love you."

"I love you, too."

When Deb walks back into the room not long after, all three of them are asleep. She hits the record button on the DVR and heads to the kitchen to clean up after breakfast, but not before sneaking a picture of them on her phone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have no idea how this chapter got so long. probably because i got carried away because i looooove christmas!!!
> 
> let me know what your favorite parts were, either here or [on tumblr](http://twolittlesparks.tumblr.com). :)


	12. xii.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess Thursday (well, it’s past midnight, so it’s technically Friday) has become the unofficial update day? As I’ve said before, it’s very hard for me to find free time to write, so I am grateful for your patience and your enthusiasm. Another long one... enjoy. :)

On the morning of December 31st, Molly only mildly protests their departure as Ashlyn comes back inside after hoisting their small suitcase into the backseat of her Jeep and hanging a garment bag with her outfit for the evening on the grab handle.

"But why can't I come have a sleepover with you and Mommy?"

"Because you and Uncle Kyle and Grandma and Grandpa are going to have a sleepover here, remember? You're gonna have wayyyy too much fun without me and Mommy. I bet if you ask Uncle Kyle, he'll eat some popcorn and watch a princess movie with you."

"I guess," Molly says. "Promise you're coming back tomorrow?"

"Pinky promise," Ashlyn says, leaning down. "And I'll make you a deal. If you're very very good while Mommy and I are gone tonight, later this week, we can surprise Mommy and take her to Chuck E. Cheese to eat some pizza."

"Yes, yes!" Molly squeals.

"Awesome," Ashlyn says, putting her hand up for a high five before standing, calling up the stairs. "Alex! Honey, let's go!"

"I'm coming!" she hears from upstairs, footsteps quick on the floor.

"Go tell Mommy I said hurry up or this train's leaving without her."

"Mommy!" Molly yells out, running up the stairs as fast as she can. "You have to leave, the train's in a hurry!"

Ali eventually makes her way down the stairs, garment bag of her own hanging from her fingers as she mutters apologies. Even though she's slightly frantic, she looks beautiful, wearing a soft lavender cashmere sweater that Ashlyn's never seen, fishtail braid hanging over her shoulder.

"Whoa, whoa!" Ashlyn says, stepping into Ali's way, absorbing the shock as she bumps into her and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Breathe. Let me help." She presses a kiss to Ali's cheek as she takes the garment bag from her. "Oooh, is this tonight's dress?" Ashlyn asks, reaching for the zipper.

"Hey!" Ali pulls her hand off the zipper. "It's a surprise!"

"Alex," she whines.

Ali pats her cheek sympathetically.

"I promise it'll be worth the wait."

 

* * *

 

The Watergate is beautiful, fresh off a multi-million dollar renovation, every surface seeming to glimmer in the sunlight filtering through the high windows. Even if their room is only half as nice as the lobby is, Ashlyn still thinks it'll be at least five times nicer than any place she's ever stayed before.

The young girl checking them in is sweet and talkative, and Ali lays her charm on thick in return. Even though they're standing shoulder to shoulder and Ali has called her "babe" more than once since they walked up (not to mention that the girl can obviously see their names on the reservation together), Ashlyn is starting to believe this girl seriously thinks they're just friends. Just as Ashlyn starts to consider kissing Ali's neck right in front of her, all of Ali's hard work pays off.

"Good news, you two! There's a premier suite that just opened up. I can upgrade you, if you'd like?"

Ashlyn's already digging in her pocket for her wallet to pay whatever the rate difference would be, but the girl waves her off and Ashlyn's not surprised that when she speaks again, it's directly to Ali.

"Complimentary," she says, reaching for a couple of keys to code them. "Room 1028. Enjoy your stay!"

Ali accepts the keys, holding them up to show Ashlyn. "Hear that, babe? A premier suite!" She pops up on her toes to kiss Ashlyn, chaste but unmistakable, before turning back to the girl, whose mouth is hanging open just a little.

"Thank you... Brittany!" Ali says, reading her nametag. "You're the best!"

They decline the help of a waiting bellman, and Ali reaches down and links her fingers with Ashlyn's as they walk to the elevator. Once the doors close, they both start cracking up.

"Geez, I... I thought I was going to have to start dry humping you right there for her to get the picture," Ali wheezes, tears rolling down her cheeks as Ashlyn doubles over, laughing so hard she can barely breathe.

By the time they reach their room at the end of the hall, they've calmed down enough so that only the occasional giggle slips out. Ashlyn puts her keycard into the handle, and both of their eyes get wide as they step into the room.

"Wow, this is amazing," Ashlyn murmurs, taking in the dark wood furniture, twin robes hanging in the marble bathroom, and the large window that gives them a spectacular view of the Potomac. "This is too much, Alex. You didn't need to do this."

"I wanted to, though," Ali says, coming over to stand beside her, wrapping her arms around Ashlyn and cuddling against her side. "A lot has happened in the last nine months. So many good things, a few bumps in the road, but we've passed with flying colors."

Ashlyn smiles at her, stealing a kiss before letting Ali continue.

"Just think, there's a whole brand new year of adventures ahead of us. We're going to move in together, and I get to wake up to your bedhead and morning breath every day and cuddle up to you every night. You can teach Molly how to draw and paint and we'll get season passes to the zoo and you'll be able to recite every Disney movie word-for-word."

Ashlyn's silent for a moment, speechless as she tries to find something adequate to say in response, before she simply whispers "I love you," and that's more than enough for Ali.

"I love you, too," she answers, and it's immediately followed buy a loud gurgle. Ali chuckles, patting Ashlyn's stomach gently.

"Let me freshen up real quick, and then we'll go find you some food."

"Where do you wanna go eat?" Ashlyn calls out to her once she's in the bathroom.

"Let's go to Founding Farmers. It's my favorite!"

"I'll get an Uber," Ashlyn says, already opening the app on her phone.

"This sounds a little crazy, but if you think you can handle it, can we walk?"

It's 34 degrees outside, and that's probably at least half a mile away. Part of Ashlyn wants to cry, the native Floridian in her cringing, but Ali pokes her head out and looks at her with big, brown puppy-dog eyes and Ashlyn wonders if she's ever going to find a way to say no to her, if there's anything she wouldn't do for her.

"We can walk."

Ali beams before ducking back into the bathroom. "We can huddle together while we walk. And if you're too cold once we get to brunch, I promise we'll Uber it for the rest of the day. Deal?"

It's not a bad compromise.

So they bundle up, and Ashlyn can't help but comment on how Ali's chocolate puffy coat brings out the color of her eyes as they walk out of the hotel lobby and onto the street.

The walk takes less than fifteen minutes, and there's hardly a breeze blowing, but Ashlyn whimpers anyway, pulling her hood completely up over her head as they walk through the heart of the GWU campus, quiet and peaceful since it's holiday break. They finally reach 20th Street, turning and crossing the road quickly, and Ashlyn does a little fist pump when Ali lets her know that the restaurant is at the end of the block.

The hostess seats them as far away from the door as possible (Ali requests it for Ashlyn's sake), and Ashlyn's still shivering as she slides into the booth, so Ali lays both of their coats and her purse on the opposite side and joins her. She sits right up against Ashlyn, their thighs pressed together, and wraps both of her arms around Ashlyn's right one, quickly rubbing her hand up and down to try to warm her up.

"You're the best hot water bottle," Ashlyn mumbles, sighing in appreciation and linking the fingers of Ali's unoccupied hand with her own.

"Just wait until the summer when the temperature rises but my desire to cuddle doesn't change."

"Maybe that'll be all the encouragement you need to sleep naked."

Ali's cheeks pink, whatever retort she has ready dying on the tip of her tongue as their waitress walks up. They forgo coffee in favor of mimosas (as much as Ali feels like she needs her second, third cup of the day), sipping them as the waitress leaves them to peruse the menu. Ali makes a strong case for the Maple Cured Ham and Eggs, Ashlyn for the Breakfast Chicken and Waffles before both of their eyes fall on the Bananas Foster Stuffed French Toast and they point at the menu at almost the exact same time.

"Let's split," Ali suggests. "I have somewhere I want to take you and I don't want you to be too full to have fun."

"Where?"

"Can't I surprise you?"

"Fine," Ashlyn grumbles. The waitress walks back up then, and Ali orders, handing her the menus back and hugging Ashlyn's arm again.

"Don't try to pretend you don't like surprises."

"I guess they're okay when you're involved," Ashlyn says, conceding, and Ali laughs, resting her chin on the olive plaid flannel at Ashlyn's shoulder, giving her a gentle poke in the ribs.

"You don't have to butter me up, you know," she murmurs, chest warm from the champagne, eyes sparkling. "I'm pretty sure there's only one way tonight's gonna end." Her tongue peeks out from between her teeth.

Ashlyn just smiles, craning her neck to reach Ali's lips.

The french toast arrives not long after, stacked three bricks high, vanilla pastry cream oozing out of the sides and smothered in banana slices. The second the waitress walks away, Ali sticks her fork into the top brick, setting it down in the sauce and quartering it. She takes a bite and hums in satisfaction, leaving a gob of pastry cream on the corner of her mouth. She snorts, laughing at herself and going to wipe it away with her thumb when Ashlyn catches her wrist, leans in and kisses it away.

"Got it!" she says, adding "Mmm, that's good!" once she actually tastes the vanilla.

"You're unbelievable."

"You love me, though."

Ali scrunches her nose.

"That I do."

 

* * *

 

Ali does request an Uber to pick them up at Founding Farmers. Since her plan for the rest of the afternoon includes having them outside, she figures the nicest thing to do would be to let Ashlyn be warm for a long as possible. It's not much, less than ten minutes from the door of the restaurant to their destination, but it's something.

The driver lets them off as close as possible on K Street, and though she can't recall the last time she'd been here, Ashlyn knows they're at Washington Harbour. Ali takes her hand and leads her down the path towards the Potomac, finally stopping at the top of a set of stairs, and Ashlyn loses her breath.

The area around the ice skating rink is bustling with people, many simply watching the participants, some looking out over the river. Icicle lights are strung from light pole to light pole around the perimeter of the rink, the sun reflecting off of them and making them sparkle as if they were real. It has a magical feel, Ashlyn thinks, watching the different colors of coats circling, weaving between each other against the white backdrop.

"My dad used to take Kyle and I here when we were younger," Ali says, breaking the silence. "Later on, we figured out it was a two-fold trip; it was quality dad time, sure, but it also gave mom time to go out and shop without having to dodge us and hide things. I've always loved it here."

"I've... never been."

"You've never been here?"

"Well, here or skating in general."

Ali brightens.

"Awwww, babe, really? I get to be your first skating partner?"

"Who said I was going skating?!"

Ali knows just what button to press.

"Ashlyn! Are you backing down from a challenge?"

Ali barely contains her smirk when she sees the determination flash in Ashlyn's eyes.

"Where are the skates?"

They're laced up and ready to go ten minutes later.

Ali isn't the steadiest of skaters, years of skipping their trips to the rink making her rusty, but she's much sturdier on her feet than Ashlyn, who grips the rink wall like a vice the second she steps onto the ice, slipping and sliding a little even as she tries to simply stand still. Ali watches her with amusement in her eyes, staying close as she finds her own footing.

"Come on, Ash!" Ali says, holding her hand out, but Ashlyn shakes her head petulantly, sticking her bottom lip out and clearly regretting her decision.

"I'm gonna fall on m–" she catches herself, looking to her left and right at all the kids before mouthing "on my _ass_!" dramatically.

"Do you want me to grab you one of those, babe?" Ali laughs, pointing to a row of little penguin figures, each about three feet tall, handlebars coming out of each side of their heads. Ashlyn's about to ask when she looks out over the rink and sees a good number of them in use, but by no one over the age of ten.

"Hilarious," she deadpans before sticking out her tongue.

Ali eventually gets Ashlyn to leave the safety of the wall, putting her hands behind her back so Ashlyn could hold them as she skates along. After a couple of laps and a few close calls, Ashlyn decides she needs a little break, and Ali guides her to the far end of the rink, closest to the river. She hands a young woman her phone, pulling Ashlyn close for a picture. With the Potomac behind them, Ashlyn bends down, kissing Ali on the cheek while she beams next to her.

(Ashlyn falls twice before they leave, and Ali buys her a cup of hot chocolate on the way out to warm her up and soothe her wounded pride.)

 

* * *

 

"You almost ready, babe?" Ashlyn asks, knotting her tie in front of the full-length mirror mounted on the wall. She'd allowed Ali to commandeer the bathroom once she'd insisted that they get dressed separately. When choosing an outfit for tonight, Ali had only asked her what she was wearing so she could make sure she picked something that matched, but not allowing Ashlyn to see the dress until tonight. Ashlyn isn't sure exactly what she's in for, but after seeing the roll of double-sided body tape Ali had thrown into their suitcase, she has a few ideas.

"Like two more minutes, I promise!"

Ashlyn chuckles under breath, straightening her tie before returning to sit in the room's desk chair. Before she'd disappeared into the bathroom nearly an hour ago, Ali had helped her by slicking her hair straight back into a ponytail, wrapping a piece of blonde hair around the hair tie to cover it before leaving the waves to hang loose from there. Ashlyn had slipped on her clothes after that: a navy blue button-up, grey slacks and a pair of brown wingtips. After applying some light makeup, she had been flipping between ESPN and New Year's Rockin' Eve, watching the minutes tick by, anticipation growing.

As promised, the bathroom door opens a couple of minutes later, and Ashlyn's jaw literally drops.

Ali's dress is a dark navy, and Ashlyn doesn't know what it's made of, but the fabric shimmers and looks like Ali took a starry night sky and wrapped it around her body. And Ashlyn's trying to focus, to form a coherent thought, but there's skin everywhere (so much skin), the neckline, back, and sides of the dress all plunging down to the waistband. From there it's impossibly tight, hugging Ali's ass and legs like a second skin before it stops mid-thigh. Her eyes are smokey and her hair is perfect and Ashlyn is pretty sure she just drooled a little.

"Holy... shit."

"You like it?" Ali asks, smiling, voice light with flirtation. She walks over to the mirror, putting in her second earring, her necklace dangling between her fingers. It feels like a magnet, the force that pulls Ashlyn from her seat and over where Ali is standing. She meets her eyes in the mirror, pupils wide, before brushing the long, silky curls away from Ali's neck and taking the necklace from her hand.

"Can I?"

She doesn't miss the way Ali gulps, her eyes fluttering for a second before she nods. Ashlyn clasps the long silver chain around Ali's neck, placing a few gentle kisses there, smelling shampoo and hairspray and perfume.

"You never answered my question," Ali says, and the way her voice has dropped, thickened strokes Ashlyn's ego.

"Do I like it?" Ashlyn asks, running her palms up Ali's sides, breath hot against her neck. "I... love this dress on you. But I'm going to love taking it off of you even more."

"I'm counting on that." She turns in Ashlyn's arms. "And look at you," she says, smoothing a hand down over Ashlyn's tie. "I'm going to be beating everyone off of you."

"Please, no one's even going to notice me when I'm standing next to you."

"Well, considering I'm going be all over you all night, they'll just have to stare at both of us, won't they?"

Ashlyn can't wait another second to kiss her, digging her fingertips into her hipbones as she pulls their lower bodies together. Ali wraps her arms around her neck, parting her lips when she feels Ashlyn's tongue against them, and she groans in the back of her throat when Ashlyn runs her nails down the exposed skin at her side.

It's not until she feels Ashlyn's palm follow the curve of her hip and try to sneak under the hem of her dress that she breaks their kiss.

"No, no, no," she says, swatting Ashlyn's hand away. "Later. I have to put my lipstick on so we can go."

Ashlyn tilts her head as she tries to smooth out her tie again.

"I thought you already had some on."

Ali laughs, gesturing down her body.

"Like you were going to be able to resist me once you saw this."

 

* * *

 

The dance floor at Kabin is cramped, far too tiny for the amount of bodies, and people have to keep pushing by them to get to the bathrooms and the kitchen, but it doesn't deter Ali one bit. Ashlyn had no idea how good a dancer Ali was, but it's become quickly and clearly evident in every shift and pop of her hips, her impeccable sense of rhythm. The fact that she's still so coordinated, so fluid after the drinks they've had (Ashlyn took care of two neat whiskeys and Ali got the giggles after her third Screwdriver before pulling Ashlyn to the dance floor) is astounding.

Ashlyn is so caught up in the slow dip and sway of Ali's body that she doesn't even notice him at first. Ali is looking up at her, eyes smoldering and bottom lip between her teeth, when suddenly her forehead creases and she shoots a quick glare over her shoulder. Ashlyn looks up and clenches her jaw.

The douchebag dancing far too close to Ali looks like an aging Justin Bieber, obnoxiously long bangs sweeping across his forehead, sweat flying off the tips of his hair and dripping down his neck. His shirt is unbuttoned unnecessarily low, sticking to his chest and bulky arms. He thinks he's being discreet, trying to match the swing of his hips to Ali's as he inches closer and closer, but anyone in a ten-foot radius can see him openly leering at her, and Ashlyn sees red.

An uncharacteristic streak of pure possessiveness claws its way up her spine, but before she even has a chance to do anything, Ali whips around, voice rising above the pulsing bass.

"Hey!" she yells. "You might wanna back up a bit, bud."

"Aw, c'mon baby," he says, smiling, and Ali's skin crawls. That finally gets the better of Ashlyn, who steps up and presses her front to Ali's back and bands an arm around her waist, just below the dip of her neckline. Ali doesn't need to turn around to know that Ashlyn is shooting daggers at him; the stupefied expression on his face tells her as much.

Ali points a thumb over her shoulder.

"See her? I'm good, thanks."

Ashlyn smirks, winks, and the idiot rolls his eyes, trying to hide the fact that he's slinking off with his figurative tail between his legs.

A handful of people dancing near them have noticed the exchange, another guy near them even chuckling at the poor bastard. Ali turns back to Ashlyn, who has a lopsided grin on her face, dimple showing. Ali wraps her arms around her neck, leaning in so Ashlyn can hear her over the thumping of the music.

"Kiss me."

Ashlyn almost wants to ask her if she's sure.

They've never been shy in public, never tried to hide the nature of their relationship, but they're on a crowded dance floor and Ashlyn is positive that Ali's not asking for a peck on the lips. There's enough alcohol in her system that she's not trashed, but she's definitely this side of reckless, and everything else be damned, right?

So she takes Ali's face in her hands, kissing her hard and deep and fast, and Ali's knees go a little wobbly as she hooks her fingers into Ashlyn's belt loops, thumbs brushing her abs through her shirt. Neither of them register the whistles or catcalling until they break apart, foreheads resting together as they catch their breath. When the people around them see there's no more action to take in, everyone's attention shifts off of them.

Even though Ashlyn's still a little stunned, she smiles, eyes still closed as she nuzzles her nose against Ali's to get her attention.

"What was that for?"

"I wanted everyone to know I was yours."

Ashlyn kisses her again for good measure, and Ali's eyes look dark, hooded when they part. "I'm gonna run to the bathroom real quick," she says, squeezing her hand. "Get us another round and find a table?"

Ashlyn nods, watching Ali disappear into the crowd of people before she heads back for the bar.

Ali's gone for not more than five minutes when Ashlyn sees her walking up to the booth she'd found, relatively dark and tucked away, noticing the slightly awkward way Ali has her hands gripped together as she slides in next to her. Ali leans in, her right hand turning Ashlyn's head so she can kiss her again as Ashlyn feels her left hand moving near the pocket of her pants. Ali pulls back, both hands leaving Ashlyn's body as she picks up her fourth Screwdriver and knocks it back.

"Did you just—" Ashlyn starts, sticking her hand in her pocket, feeling lace and closing her eyes, letting her head fall back against the back of the booth with a groan. " _God_."

Ali just smirks at her, raising an eyebrow.

"What's the matter, baby?" she teases.

"What's the matter is that I know you don't have a bra on," Ashlyn says, running the outside of a finger down the skin at Ali's side. "You just put that scrap of lace you call underwear in my right pocket, and if I'm not mistaken, there are still laws prohibiting public indecency."

"Sounds about right."

"You're drunk. And crazy and the sexiest woman I've ever seen."

"And I'm all yours," Ali reminds her.

Ali's words stoke the desire coiled low in Ashlyn's belly even further, like she's been doing all night, like she's been doing since she stepped out of the bathroom in that dress, and Ashlyn loves her so fucking much it's almost unbearable. It hits her a little harder every time she sees a different side of Ali, learns a little more about her, like her favorite color (green) or how she takes her coffee (one cream, two sugars) or the adorable, constant flush on the apples of her cheeks when she's had too much vodka (like tonight).

She's also a handsy drunk, Ashlyn learns. She has never been more appreciative of low club lighting and the fact that they're in a booth and no one can see below their waists, because Ali leans over and puts her mouth against Ashlyn's ear, brazenly scratching her nails along the fly of her pants, sliding a hand between her thighs.

"You 'bout ready to go?" Ali drawls as Ashlyn's eyes flutter closed, and even though she's sure no one would be able to hear her, Ashlyn digs her teeth into her lower lip to keep the broken whimper she feels building in the back of her throat from coming out.

All Ashlyn can do is nod.

"Good," Ali says, lips brushing the shell of Ashlyn's ear as she speaks, "because if you didn't want to leave, I was gonna have to drag you to the bathroom and have my way with you there. And the things I want to do to you—"

"Fuck, let's go," Ashlyn curses, cutting her off. She grabs Ali's wrist with one hand, picking up her glass with the other and downing the rest of her whiskey, wincing at the burn as she all but hauls her out of the booth. She doesn't know where this side of Ali came from, but she's not questioning it and she wouldn't dream of complaining about it.

"Promise me one thing," Ashlyn says as they head outside, slipping their coats on as they walk over to get in their Uber.

"What?"

"Behave while we're in there," she hisses, and Ali's eyes glint mischievously. "I swear, Alex, just please keep your fucking hand out of my pants. Because if you touch me, I'm gonna lose it and the only person I want around when that happens is you."

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn slips their driver an extra $20 as she and Ali clamber out of the backseat. Ali lets out a squeak, caused as much by the freezing temperature as it is by the playful little tap Ashlyn gives her ass. They hurry through the front doors, Ali holding on to the crook of Ashlyn's arm with one hand, her heels clutched in the other.

She presses up, intending to leave a quick kiss on Ashlyn's mouth, but Ashlyn prolongs it for a few extra moments before guiding them toward the elevators, her hand slipping down, bordering on inappropriate. Ali, not to be outdone, reaches over and sticks her hand into Ashlyn's back pocket, stopping them again and reconnecting their lips.

A passing bellman smiles at them. "Have a good night, ladies!"

"Happy New Year!" Ali giggles, breaking the kiss and blushing a little.

Ashlyn presses the up button on the wall before looking down at Ali, shorter now that she's without her heels again, pressing her palm to the small of her back.

"You're a constant surprise, you know that?"

"Am I?"

"Every time I think I have you figured out, you do something that turns my world upside down. Like making out with me in your parents' kitchen or flying halfway across the world to see me on my birthday or sticking your underwear in my pocket at a club."

Ali is smiling sweetly, but there's mischief in her eyes again, and it's so fast, the way she sets Ashlyn's blood humming with just a look.

"I've got a few more surprises up my sleeve."

Ashlyn whines.

The elevator dings.

Miraculously, it opens to reveal an empty car, and Ashlyn has never been more grateful. She presses the button for their floor, and she has Ali pinned tightly to the wall as soon as the door shuts.

She wants to hike Ali's leg up against her hip, wants to be able to get so, so much closer than she is, but her dress is so tight that there's no way that's happening. So Ashlyn settles for attaching her mouth to Ali's pulse point, biting, not caring about the bruises she might leave, and palming a breast, pinching through the material, and Ali's hips strain against Ashlyn's body.

The elevator stops on their floor, and Ashlyn leads them down the hall as best she can with Ali stopping them every few feet to kiss and grope. It takes Ashlyn four tries to get the keycard in the slot with Ali kissing her neck like that, but she eventually manages and they stumble into to the room.

Ali has Ashlyn pressed to the door the second it closes, tossing her heels somewhere underneath the nearby desk and pushing at the shoulders of Ashlyn's coat. Both coats end up on the floor, and after Ali deposits her necklace and earrings on the desk, Ashlyn turns them around, gaining the upper hand as she presses Ali to the opposite wall, kissing her hotly. Ashlyn still tastes like Johnnie Walker and Ali is so turned on she feels light-headed.

"Have you—" she falters, breath hitching when Ashlyn moves to her earlobe, bites, tugs, "forgotten about your present?"

It takes Ashlyn's foggy brain a few seconds to catch up, but then she remembers what else Ali promised her and she groans, part lust and part disappointment.

"But I've been imagining taking this off of you all night. Since the moment you put it on," Ashlyn whines, fingers toying with the hem of the dress.

"I guess we _do_  have all night," Ali says. "Who's to say you can't get me naked more than once?"

Ashlyn grins devilishly, kicking off her shoes and guiding Ali over, pushing her onto the bed. She covers Ali's body with her own, kissing her hard, catching her hands as Ali goes to wrap her arms around her neck. She pins Ali's hands to the bed, linking their fingers as she puts her weight on her, hips bearing down, and Ali moans. Ashlyn smiles against Ali's mouth, repeats the motion, and Ali nips at her bottom lip, tired of being teased.

Ashlyn runs both hands down Ali's body to her legs, hiking the sparkling fabric up, her hands sliding higher. She can feel the heat between Ali's legs and she squeezes her fingers, thumbs rubbing circles into the sensitive skin of Ali's inner thighs as she kisses the underside of her jaw, her neck. Ali squirms, whines, her fingers scratching up Ashlyn's back as she tries uselessly to spread her legs wider, get Ashlyn closer.

Ashlyn is still trying to pull the dress up and over Ali's head, but it's so tight (she was grateful for that earlier, watching Ali on the dance floor, feeling like she could see every flex of every muscle) that she can't get it past the swell of Ali's ass. She yanks a little harder, a few more times for good measure before growling in frustration.

"How does this dress even come off?"

"The same way I got it on," Ali teases breathlessly.

"So... ripping?" Ashlyn husks, fingers curling into either side of the deep plunge of Ali's neckline as she sucks and bites at the swell of her breast.

"Don't you d-dare," Ali warns, but it's feeble, her voice shuddering. She decides to help Ashlyn out, hand moving down to her hip to find the tiny, hidden zipper, pulling it down and shrugging out of the top of the dress. Ashlyn licks her lips, grabbing the hem, and Ali cants her hips upward as Ashlyn pulls and the fabric releases and flutters and _finally_ , Ashlyn thinks. _Finally_.

Ali scoots higher up the bed, leaning up against the headboard. Ashlyn crawls up after her, and that must not be where she wants Ali, because she grabs her by the hips and yanks her back down, leaning back over to kiss and nibble at her collarbone as Ali wraps her legs around her waist.

"Please," Ali groans, nails digging into Ashlyn's back. "Ashlyn, touch me."

Ashlyn wants to touch her as much as she wants to be touched, as much as she's wanted to touch and take and unravel her all night, so she doesn't tease, working her way down Ali's stomach to her hipbone, sucking a bruise into the skin there before moving down, frustratingly past where Ali wants her to her inner thighs.

Ali grabs her hand, trying to move it to where she wants it, but Ashlyn tugs it away. Ali goes to sit up, reaching for her, but Ashlyn pushes her back down with a hand to her sternum.

"Patience."

"I am going to kill you," Ali grits out, balled-up fists pressed to her eyes.

Ali can't see her, so she's not expecting the kiss Ashlyn places where her thigh meets her pelvis and her whole body jumps in response. Ashlyn can tell she's on edge, that she needs relief from the state that hours of foreplay will put you in, so she wraps an arm around each of Ali's thighs and gives her what she needs.

Ali's so taut that the first touch of Ashlyn's tongue rips a scream from her throat. Her back arches sharply, hands gripping the sheets, and her heels dig into Ashlyn's back painfully. Ashlyn keeps going though, keeps driving Ali higher until she hears her whimpering, trying to get her words out.

"B-babe, your fi-fin—"

Ashlyn doesn't let her finish, sliding two fingers into her and Ali's sentence trails off into a string of whimpered expletives. She's loud, too, Ashlyn having no doubt that everyone on their floor knows exactly what's going on. Ashlyn files the fact that a tipsy Ali is a loud Ali away in the back of her mind.

Ali's breathing heavier, hips moving a little more erratically against Ashlyn's mouth, so she quickens her pace, her patterns more elaborate until Ali suddenly seizes, gasping and trembling as she comes down. Ashlyn rubs Ali's thighs soothingly as she tries to catch her breath, chest still heaving as she reaches down to brush the hairs that have fallen from Ashlyn's ponytail out of her face.

"Hey... you... still have... all your clothes... on," Ali pants, trying to get Ashlyn to come to her so she can help undress her.

"No, I want my present first," Ashlyn says, voice gravelly. "I think I more than earned it."

Ali raises an eyebrow.

"Please, can I have my present now?"

Ali smiles. "Better." She stands on slightly shaky legs, breathing still uneven as she kisses Ashlyn before disappearing into the bathroom.

Five minutes later, there's still no sign of Ali so Ashlyn goes over and knocks on the door gently.

"Alex? Babe? Are you okay?"

"I... no? Yes? I don't know."

Ashlyn tries the door handle, but it's still locked.

"Do you need me to come in there?"

"No, no, I just... I'm a little less drunk and I... I'm thinking this was a bad idea."

"Wait, what? What's a bad idea?"

"This... thing."

"I'm gonna need a little more information, Al."

"I got this to wear for you and now that it's on me, I feel... I don't know. Self-conscious, I guess."

"Alex," Ashlyn says gently, pressing her cheek to the cool door. "Babe, you could be wearing a grocery bag and I'd still think you were the hottest woman I've ever laid eyes on."

"You're not just saying that so I'll let you get me naked again, right?"

Ashlyn can't see her, but she can hear the grateful smile in Ali's voice.

"I would never lie about your level of hotness."

"Go wait on the bed, I'll be out in a minute."

Ashlyn sits back against the headboard, pulling her socks off and rubbing her palms over her face, willing herself to calm down, her sharp desire to ebb enough so that she can enjoy this. She's doing a pretty good job until the bathroom door opens, her blood pressure spiking again when Ali comes into view.

Ashlyn knew that the little lingerie set would look much better on Ali than it did in the picture, but she had no idea how much. The babydoll top, besides the solid black bra, is sheer with a lacy floral pattern, and Ashlyn can clearly see the matching thong (which covers next to nothing anyway) and the whole thing is so beautiful and sexy and so very _Ali_  that Ashlyn can't do anything but stare.

"Ashlyn."

Ashlyn shakes her head slightly, bringing her attention back to Ali. "Yeah?"

"Don't..." Ali starts nervously, "don't laugh at me, okay?"

"What?" Ashlyn asks, dazed. "Why would I laugh at you?"

"Just... if you want me to stop, just tell me and I will and we can just—"

"Breathe," Ashlyn soothes. "I promise, whatever you want to do... I'm good."

Ali pats the edge of the bed.

Ashlyn's eyes get wide.

"Oh."

She scoots down, never breaking her eye contact with Ali and praying that they're on the same page. Because if they are, and Ali's about to do what she thinks she's going to do, Ashlyn is just hoping she doesn't pass out before Ali even gets her naked.

Ali takes a deep breath, biting her lip before she finally takes the couple of steps forward, standing between Ashlyn's legs for a second before taking her face in her hands, kissing her deeply as she straddles her lap and Ashlyn feels like she's burst into flames.

Ashlyn moans into her mouth, a wanton sound that instantly boosts Ali's confidence enough that she cuts to the chase, wrapping one arm around Ashlyn's neck and her other hand around her tie, tugging gently, and a filthy little roll of her hips makes Ashlyn stop breathing altogether.

" _Jesus_."

Ali smiles wickedly against her mouth, looser now, taking her bottom lip between her teeth for a brief moment before her mouth moves to a place she knows drives Ashlyn crazy, high on her jaw, sucking at the spot. Ashlyn clutches at Ali's hips, a broken little moan tumbling out, and she doesn't think she's ever been this desperate for someone in her life.

As much as Ali thinks she's got the situation in hand, Ashlyn knows how to distract her, tip the scale of power a little in her favor. She runs her nails teasingly up and down the length of Ali's thighs before sliding them around her hips, and the next time Ali grinds forward against her, Ashlyn puts her hands on her ass and squeezes, pulling Ali against her. She's impressed that Ali doesn't moan or whine, but there's a definite, sure catch of her breath and the fingers working at loosening her tie falter and stumble.

 _Gotcha_.

Ali grinds against her with purpose, still kissing her as she finally tugs the knot free, pulling on one end of the tie until it slides from Ashlyn's collar. Ali twists it in her hands before pulling back from Ashlyn's mouth.

"Can I—" she whispers, stopping when she's too shy to actually ask.

"What?"

Ali gnaws on her bottom lip for a second before bringing the tie up to cover Ashlyn's eyes.

"Is this okay?" Ali breathes, trying to hide the apprehensiveness in her voice.

"Fuck," Ashlyn curses, and that's all the answer Ali needs as she ties it behind Ashlyn's head.

Ashlyn almost feels like this is unfair. She can't see her, more importantly can't see her in that lingerie, but then Ali reaches behind her head, pulling her ponytail out and shaking her hair loose as she puts her mouth against Ashlyn's ear.

Ashlyn's mind goes blank.

"Lay down."

It's not a request, but a rough command and Ashlyn scrambles backward so quickly she almost topples Ali off her lap and onto the floor. She hears Ali laugh, a low sound that makes her stomach flip, and she reaches out for her even though she knows Ali's not close enough.

She feels the bed dip, feels Ali straddle her hips and she's so hot on top of her that Ashlyn wants to rip her clothes off. She reaches for the buttons of her shirt but Ali stops her, taking her hands and pressing them into the pillows above her head.

"Keep 'em there."

Ashlyn whines pathetically. "Alex."

"Touch me and I stop."

"Goddamnit."

Ashlyn almost fails immediately, has to dig her fingers into the pillow when Ali kisses her neck, unbuttoning her shirt agonizingly slow as her mouth follows downward. Once she's done and Ashlyn's shirt lays open, she presses an open-mouthed kiss right above her belt and Ashlyn tilts her hips towards her, and there's that dark chuckle again and Ali is enjoying this _far_ too much.

"Take your shirt off. Bra, too."

Ashlyn arches her back, pulling her shirt off and dropping it off the side of the bed before wiggling out of her bra. Ali busies herself with Ashlyn's belt, pulling it off and she briefly wonders what Ashlyn would do if she wrapped the belt around her wrists, but she wants Ashlyn's hands free for this.

Next time, maybe.

Ali pulls Ashlyn's pants and boxers off together, but before she can climb back on the bed, Ashlyn speaks up.

"Babe?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can... I know the sexy lacy thing is my present and trust me, I love it. But I can't see it and if I can't see it, what's the point?"

Ali gets where she's going, stepping out of the thong and gently untying her top, draping them over the chair. Ashlyn sighs in satisfaction when Ali lays against the length of her, all skin on skin.

Ali wastes no time then, slipping her hand between Ashlyn's thighs, shocked at how wet she is.

"How long have you been like this?" she rasps, and her voice sends a fresh shot of arousal through Ashlyn's system.

"Since you walked out in that dress," she grits out. "All nigh—"

Ali easily slides two fingers into her, and Ashlyn can't breathe, the relief of finally, surely being touched after hours on the edge like an oasis in the desert. She digs her nails into the pillow harder, every feeling heightened by the fact that she still can't see a thing. Ali runs her nails up and down the back of her leg, occasionally leaning over to place haphazard kisses on her stomach, her breasts, her neck.

"Harder," Ashlyn groans, "please."

Ali uses her thigh to add extra force behind her thrusts, and Ashlyn curses, appreciative.

It doesn't take long before Ali can hear the hitching of her breath, see the tension in her muscles and she knows she's close. Ashlyn knows it, too, and she knows what she needs to get her there.

She needs to see her.

"Can I... take..."

Ali grabs the tie, yanking it off and kissing Ashlyn, pushing her tongue into her mouth at the same time she brushes her thumb across her and curls her fingers, and the combination sends Ashlyn over the edge. She stiffens, gasps, moans loud and long and Ali, instead of easing her down, continues to stroke her fast and hard.

Ashlyn whimpers and wants to tell Ali that she has to stop, that it's too much, but Ali shifts and the angle changes and she hits a spot that makes Ashlyn's eyes roll back in her head.

"Fuck, _Alex_ , don't stop."

Ali doesn't stop.

She redoubles her efforts, and Ashlyn loses her breath all over again. Her first orgasm has barely subsided before she sees stars behind her eyes, every nerve ending on fire as she comes again, harder, and it feels so damn good that tears leak out of the corners of her eyes. Ali keeps stroking her until Ashlyn has to scoot up the bed and away from her.

"Stop, stop, stop..." she whimpers, because she knows if Ali keeps going, she'll come a third time and she doesn't see any way that she would be able to keep herself from blacking out.

Ali lays next to Ashlyn and pulls her into her arms, rubbing her back softly as she presses her face to Ali's neck, still breathing heavily.

"Was that good?"

"Babe, you gave me a lap dance and blindfolded me. I came twice. What you just did to me wasn't just good, it was mind-blowing."

"You can go again, right?"

"Absolutely. Just give me a few minutes. Or as long as it takes for me to stop seeing spots."

"Wimp."

Ashlyn nips at her collarbone in retaliation. Ali kisses her forehead.

"How about we take advantage of the 24-hour room service? I'll order us chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne and we'll feed them to each other in our robes. Then we can forget about the robes."

"Sounds amazing," Ashlyn mumbles.

Moments later, they both jump at the loud boom outside the window, bright colors flashing at the edge of the drawn curtains. Ashlyn scrambles out of bed, yanking the curtains open before leaping back on the bed and burrowing back under the covers behind Ali. She wraps an arm around her, pulling her into her chest as they watch the fireworks explode over the river.

"For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne..." Ashlyn sings next to her ear, and Ali laughs, turning her head to kiss her.

"We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for days of auld lang syne."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... uh... bye.


	13. xiii.

Ali's head pounds a little when she wakes up, the sun bright and harsh without the curtains to block it out. She manages to lift her arm up over her eyes, but her limbs still feel stiff and heavy and she can't keep it there. She rolls onto her stomach, pressing her face into the pillow and groaning.

The noise wakes Ashlyn.

"Whaswrong?" she slurs from somewhere near Ali's shoulder.

"Bright."

Ashlyn gets up without question, and even though she whimpers a little as the cold air hits her skin, she dutifully scurries across the room to shut the curtains. She lets out a frustrated growl a few seconds later as she fights with them, something in the sliding mechanism catching, one side of the curtains stuck.

Ali hears her, lifting her head and squinting until her eyes finally focus.

She smirks.

"I was worried about the sun but now I'm more concerned with the full moon."

Ashlyn glares at her over her shoulder. "I hate you."

Then she wiggles her ass.

"Oh my God, just get back over here."

Ashlyn chuckles, heading back over to the bed and climbing back onto her side. Ali goes to turn and snuggle into Ashlyn's chest, but Ashlyn stops her with a gentle hand to her shoulder as she gets comfortable behind her.

"No, no," she insists, wrapping an arm around Ali's waist and pulling her back into her chest. "Like this."

Ali sighs contentedly as Ashlyn rubs a warm, open palm up and down her stomach.

"So how's your new year going so far?"

"A little headache-y," Ali whines. "But it was worth it."

"The understatement of the century," Ashlyn says. "If I had known that bold little minx was bubbling just under the surface, I would have gotten you drunk a lot sooner."

Ali groans. "Yeah, unless I'm mistaken, I'm pretty sure I blindfolded you with your own tie last night."

Ashlyn's stomach flips.

"You definitely did that. And it was definitely hot."

She feels Ali's breath hitch when she accidentally (okay, maybe _not_ so accidentally) brushes the bottom of her breast with her thumb.

"Yeah?" Ali asks, and Ashlyn can hear the change in her voice. She catches Ashlyn's hand on the next downward stroke of her palm and pulls it lower.

"Oh," Ashlyn breathes when she realizes what Ali's doing.

"That's the second ti— _shit_ — the second time you've said that in less than t-twelve hours," Ali stutters as Ashlyn's hand makes its way between her thighs.

"Well, like I said," Ashlyn whispers, nibbling at the shell of Ali's ear, "you're a constant surprise."

Ali doesn't have anything to say to that, and it's no surprise when she comes with a soft, shaky sigh minutes later.

"You're so good at that."

Ashlyn is glad Ali can't see her smug grin. "Okay, you can roll over and cuddle now."

Ali doesn't have her head tucked into Ashlyn's neck for more than five minutes when her phone rings. She sees Kyle's name appear on the screen, tilting the phone so Ashlyn can see before she answers, settling back in her arms.

"Hey!" she says brightly.

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure you two weren't getting your f-r-e-a-k on again before I gave the phone to your daughter."

"Don't worry, we're done already," she says, yelping when Ashlyn pinches her side.

"Okay, I didn't need— never mind." His voice is distant when he speaks again, and Ali hears the rustle of sheets, then a slow, sleepy voice.

"Hi Mommy."

"Well, good morning, my sweet girl," Ali coos into the phone. "Happy New Year! Did you have fun last night?"

"Yes, Uncle Kyle watched Sleeping Beauty with me."

"That's a good one. Did he like it?"

"Yes but he said that the dress was prettier when it was blue and that's wrong."

Ali has to try really hard to keep herself from laughing.

"Did you explain to him why pink is better?"

Molly sighs heavily. "I tried to but he doesn't understand."

Ali does laugh this time. "I'll talk to him when we get home, okay?"

"Okay, good," Molly says, thankful. "Is Mama there?"

Ali freezes, eyes brimming with tears, and Ashlyn looks immediately concerned until Ali shakes her head.

"Mommy?"

"Y-yeah, baby," Ali says, looking at Ashlyn. "Mama's here. You wanna talk to her?"

Ashlyn's face softens.

"She said...?"

Ali nods, holding out the phone.

Ashlyn swallows thickly, bringing the phone to her ear.

"Molly?"

"Hi Mama," she mumbles on the other end of the line, and Ashlyn can just imagine her rubbing at her eyes with her little fists.

"Hi, sweetheart," she says, voice catching, and Ali takes her hand.

"I miss you. Are you coming home?"

"I miss you, too. We're coming home real soon, and we'll spend some time together, okay? We can do whatever you want, promise."

Ashlyn can hear her yawn on the other end, and it sets off a chain reaction, Ashlyn yawning in response and Ali following suit.

"Okay," Molly says, and then Ashlyn hears shuffling on the end of the line before Kyle comes back, saying "I'll be right back, munchkin!" over the sound of a door shutting.

"Uh... Ashlyn?"

"Yeah?"

"Okay, so I definitely wasn't hearing things. With the 'Mama' thing."

"Oh," Ashlyn says, almost embarrassed, self-conscious. "Yeah, no. But she's only done that—"

Ali grabs the phone from her.

"Alex!"

" _Kyle_!" Ali fusses.

"What?!" he asks.

"What did you just say to her?"

"Nothing!"

"Alex, it's okay," Ashlyn tries, but Ali shakes her head, going back to Kyle.

"She looks like a kicked puppy. What did you just say to her?"

"I was just thrown off by the 'Mama' thing, that's all. I didn't mean—"

"Don't say a word to Molly about it, okay? We wanna talk to her."

"Of course not," he says. There's a decent pause before he speaks again.

"I'm happy for you two, Alex. Really."

Ali relaxes, smiling. "Thanks. I'm sorry."

Kyle laughs. "Gotta defend your woman, I get it."

"We're gonna pack up soon, check out's in an hour. We shouldn't be home long after noon, okay?"

"We'll be waiting!"

Ali hangs up, tossing her phone towards the foot of the bed. She turns back and finds Ashlyn beaming at her.

"What?"

"You just got really defensive. It was cute."

Ali just smiles at her, leans over to kiss her. Her heart pounds as she speaks up again.

"It sounds right, you know? Like it's always been that way, like there's no question."

Ashlyn's about to ask what she means, but then she realizes. "It feels right," she says.

"We still need to talk to her."

"Yeah. I just don't want her to feel like she's doing something wrong."

"No, no," Ali insists. "It's gonna be fine."

Ashlyn smiles. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Letting me love her. Letting me love you. Making me happy."

"Pleasure's all mine."

 

* * *

 

As soon as they get in the front door, Molly jumps up into Ali's arms, hugging her tightly before leaning back and trying to help her take her scarf off. Kyle shakes his head, rolling his eyes as Ali immediately tries to distract her, handing her off to Ashlyn and pulling the scarf a little tighter. Molly squeezes her arms around Ashlyn's neck, excitedly babbling about anything she can think of as Ashlyn sets her down on the floor, holding her hand and walking toward the living room.

"Soooo..." Kyle starts, and that inescapable sibling bond tells Ali exactly what he's about to ask.

"Later, I promise."

"How dare you hold out on me like this?" he hisses to the back of Ali's head as they follow Ashlyn and Molly at a safe distance down the hall. "I thought you cared about my mental well-being."

"I will tell you! Later!" Ali mutters.

"Fine."

They walk into the kitchen to find that, much to Ashlyn's chagrin, Molly is insisting on going out to play in the snow.

"Pleaseeee," she begs. "I want to make a snowman. You said whatever I want!"

Ashlyn sighs, smiles.

"Where are your mittens?"

"They're upstairs! I'll go get them!" Molly yells as she runs off.

Ali gives Ashlyn a sympathetic look.

"I know, babe," she says, walking up to Ashlyn and patting her on the cheek before giving her a quick kiss. "You'll survive, though."

 

* * *

 

Impossible as it may have seemed, Ali falls a little more in love with Ashlyn when she sings "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" as she zips and buttons Molly's coat (complete with a dramatic pout when Molly expertly delivers "Go away, Anna!"). As Ashlyn pulls her own boots and gloves on, Ali pours steaming coffee into three thermoses, handing one to Kyle before fixing hers and Ashlyn's.

"You ready?" Ali asks, chuckling as Molly walks up to her, bundled up and looking a little like the kid from _A Christmas Story_.

"Yes!"

"Okay, let's go then."

Ali hands Ashlyn her thermos as Molly opens the back door, flying out into the backyard to play in the fresh powder. Kyle wipes snow off one of the deck chairs, sitting down while the girls stand next to him and watch Molly.

Ashlyn takes a sip of her coffee and immediately flinches, whimpering.

"Ah! _Hot_!"

"Yes, honey. Hot."

Ashlyn pouts as best she can while she holds her tongue to the roof of her mouth. "It's just that I'm already so cold."

"Big baby," she teases. "Here, leave them here with Kyle while we go build the best snowman. They'll cool off a little and then we can come warm up while Mol destroys it."

"You guys have to teach me how to do this," Ashlyn says as Ali leads her by the hand down the stairs of the deck. "I was born in Florida, we don't get snow."

"I bet we can teach Mama how to make the perfect snowman, right?" Ali says to Molly as they approach, testing the waters. As she expected, though, Molly doesn't skip a beat, just grins and nods, nose already pink from the chill. Ashlyn squeezes Ali's hand, thankful and excited and happy, and though she can barely feel it through both pairs of gloves, Ali rubs her thumb against the side of her finger.

"We make them all the time, we're ack- _ackspurs_ ," she says, stumbling a little.

"Experts," Ali corrects gently. "And yes, we are. Watch and learn, babe." She shoots Ashlyn a wink.

They really are experts, Ashlyn can tell. Molly helps Ali pack the three balls tight, Ali then flattening the tops and bottoms so that they'll be steady when stacked. Once Molly gives Ali a thumbs up on the body construction, Ali heads inside to retrieve a carrot from the kitchen as Molly starts searching the yard for twigs, coming back with plenty of options and having Ashlyn help her pick. Ashlyn picks the two longest, most complicated looking sticks and jams them deep into the sides of the snowman.

Molly giggles. "He looks like he has six little arms!"

"Well the more arms he has, the more hugs he can give."

"Warm hugs, like Olaf?"

"Exactly like Olaf. Is that what you want to name him?"

"Yes!"

"What'd I miss?" Ali asks as she walks back up.

"He has six arms and his name is Olaf," Ashlyn announces.

"I... should have expected that," Ali says, nodding and turning to Molly. "Okay, here's your carrot. I'm gonna go drink some of my coffee. Show her how to finish up, okay? You're the best snowman dresser ever, she's gonna learn from the best."

Ali walks back up to the deck, brushing the snow off the chair next to Kyle and settling down next to him. They watch Ashlyn and Molly laughing together, Ashlyn putting the "nose" in different places (top of his head, his back, under his arms) and Molly shaking her head until she takes the carrot from Ashlyn's hand and pokes it in the proper place. Ali smiles around the rim of her thermos as she takes a sip.

"So, when is she gonna put a ring on it?"

Ali chokes on her coffee. Ashlyn's head whips around from the end of the yard at the sound, but Ali just gives her a thumbs up from the deck. Once she's got her breathing back to normal, Kyle gets right back into it.

"Honey, she called her 'Mama'. _You_  called her 'Mama', more than once. I think your child is trying to tell you something."

Ali smiles, her cheeks pinking.

"Whattt?"

"Um, what if I... what if I told you I kinda... had a ring in mind?"

"Well, I would hope so. You've been looking at them since you were what, in first grade? Just tell me which one and I'll try to subtly tell her—"

"No, Kyle," Ali laughs, nudging him. "I mean I have a ring in mind _for_  her," she whispers.

It's Kyle's turn to choke.

"Do you two have to be supervised?!" Ashlyn calls out. "Can you seriously not even drink a cup of coffee without choking?"

"He's fine, babe!" Ali says back, patting Kyle on the back softly. He coughs a few more times before he looks over at her, smiling.

"Well I'll be damned, Alexandra." he whispers. "My baby sister, asking a girl to marry her."

" _Shhhhh_!"

"I'm fucking whispering!"

Ali takes a deep breath, going back for another sip from her thermos.

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long have you had this ring?"

"I don't have it yet. I just, you know... I've been thinking about it."

"Well, how long have you been thinking about it?"

"I don't know," Ali mumbles. "Probably since we went to Frankfurt?"

"Since— that was like two months ago!" he hisses. "How have you not told me this?!"

"I did! I told you she was the one like... last week!"

"Honey, that doesn't matter! You knew a long time ago and you didn't tell me!"

"It's just... being there, under the same roof for that whole week. It was nice, you know?" she says wistfully, smiling as she watches Ashlyn fall to the ground dramatically when Molly throws a snowball at her chest. "We got to wake up together, and I made her coffee while she cooked breakfast. And then she'd come home from the studio and she'd kiss me and then immediately go to Molly. She'd pick her up and sit on the sofa with her and ask her what she did that day. They'd take naps together and she is so amazing with her and I just... it clicked. I wanted it all. I want it all."

"One question."

"I give you all that and that's your response?"

Kyle narrows his eyes at her.

"Fine, what?"

"I get to be your best man, right?"

Ali laughs.

"Of course," she says. "You know she has to say yes first, right?"

Kyle snorts.

"The only way that woman won't say yes is if you take too long and she gets impatient and asks you first."

Molly suddenly shrieks, and Ali looks over to see her little legs trying to trudge through the powder as Ashlyn throws snowballs at her, intentionally missing.

"Mommy! Help!"

Ashlyn roars, and Ali has no idea if it's her best imitation of a dinosaur or a lion. Molly laughs even louder, screaming "No! No! No!"

"Mommy can't help you now! I'm gonna get you!"

Ashlyn catches up to her, picking her up from behind and peppering the side of her face with kisses.

"Mama, stop!" Molly squeals, kicking her legs in the air.

Ali laughs, shaking her head.

"Still just 'thinking about it'?" Kyle teases as he lifts his thermos up.

Ali sighs, defeated. "Okay, fine. So maybe I ordered the ring already."

He chokes again.

Ashlyn groans.

" _Seriously_ , you two?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks again for your patience. i know this was much shorter than most recent chapters, i'm sorry! just had to get a couple of conversations out of the way. we're gonna start apartment-hunting next chapter. thanks, as always, for taking this ride with me. xoxo


	14. xiv.

"Okay, so what are your thoughts?"

Ashlyn curls herself into Ali's side as Ali sits up against the headboard, knees bent with her iPad propped up against them. She loads Zillow as Ashlyn settles closer, leaning her head against her shoulder. Even though the sun streaming in through the window is helping, it's still pretty cold at nine in the morning, so they huddle under the blankets in Ali's bed as best they can.

"Well, we should find a happy medium," Ashlyn starts. "I don't want to necessarily move too far away from where I am now, because I'm so close to lots of great stuff. But I don't want us to be too far from your parents, either. I know you two want to stay close, and honestly, they've... started to feel like my parents, too," she admits quietly.

Ali turns her head to brush a kiss against Ashlyn's forehead as best she can. "They love you," she assures. "They'd hate not seeing you as much as they'd hate not seeing me and Molly."

"Okay, don't exaggerate now."

"I'm serious!"

"Okay, okay. So happy medium between here and the city," she says. "What about bedrooms? Do we want two or three?"

"Why would we need three?" Ali asks, and Ashlyn barely stops herself from saying the first thing that comes to mind.

"You know, guest room. Or maybe an art room, if there's not too much of a difference in price."

"Sounds doable," Ali agrees. "What neighborhood are you—"

She stops suddenly as the bedroom door creaks open, and Ashlyn doesn't have to lift her head to know who's there.

"Morning, sunshine!" she calls out.

"Hey baby," Ali says as Molly sticks her head all the way in. "Is everything okay?"

"Can I come lay in the bed with you?"

"Of course," Ali murmurs, clicking the iPad off and setting it on the nightstand. "Scooch," she says to Ashlyn, nudging her with her hip as Molly walks up to the side of the bed.

"No, I wanna lay in the middle. Between you and Mama."

"Ohhhh, so that's how it is, huh? You want to be a Molly sandwich?"

Molly holds her arms up, jumping as Ali lifts to help. "I'm not a sam-wich!"

"But you'd be a cute one!" Ashlyn says as Molly gets under the covers.

"Mama, no!"

Ashlyn laughs. "Okay, I'll stop." Her smile fades when she looks back up at Ali, who has a slightly serious look on her face. She's about to ask her what's up when she speaks.

"Baby, can we talk to you about something?"

Ashlyn immediately knows what she's doing, so she scoots back a little, away from Molly so she can see both of them clearly.

Molly nods, but looks worried. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, no. Not at all, okay? I promise, you didn't do anything wrong."

Ali looks at Ashlyn, who just shrugs as if to say _I'm here for support, but this is all you_.

"I noticed that you started calling Ashlyn 'Mama' and that's very sweet of you, baby. I know you love her a lot, right?"

Molly nods, still looking a little uneasy about the whole situation.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," Ashlyn adds, "and I love that you call me that. But Mommy and I just wanted to make sure that you understood what it meant."

Molly sighs, looking over at Ali, then back to Ashlyn before rolling her eyes, as if she can't fathom that they don't understand the concept. "I call you Mama because you love me and I love you. And you take care of me and make me feel better when I'm sad. And you buy me stuffed animals."

Ali purses her lips, trying not to laugh at the simple criteria for motherhood that her daughter has laid out.

"Well, that's true," Ali says, getting Molly's attention back. "But you know that means you have to listen to her as much as you listen to me, right? If she tells you to do something, you need to listen."

Molly thinks about it for a second, then nods. "Okay."

Ali nods, then looks to Ashlyn. "Okay?"

Ashlyn gives the final nod, then opens her arms for Molly to snuggle into. "Okay."

"You know," Ali says as she lays down next to Molly, snuggling up tight with the two of them, "it's a very cool thing that you have two mommies. Not every kid has that."

"They don't?"

"Nope. A lot of kids have a mommy and a daddy, like Margot does. But then there are some kids that have two mommies, like you."

"And there are even some kids that have two daddies," Ashlyn adds.

"Do all of the mommies and daddies love them?" Molly asks.

"You know..." Ali starts, trying to find a way to tell a 4-year-old that everything's not sunshine and rainbows, "you know what the good thing is, baby?" she says, looking at Ashlyn over the top of Molly's head. "The good thing is that even if they're not the people you start with, sometimes we find people that we love so much that it feels like they've always been there. I think we found a pretty good mama, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Molly sighs. "Good."

Ashlyn squeezes Ali's waist.

"I'm glad you found me, too."

 

* * *

 

"Hey, Deb?" Ashlyn asks, poking her head in from the backyard. "You seen Alex?"

Deb looks up from peanut butter and jelly sandwich she's making for Molly's lunch, scrunching her mouth up in though for a moment. "I think she went upstairs? Said something about a headache, I think."

"I'll be right back, Mol!" Ashlyn calls into the backyard. "Can you keep an eye on Molly? I'm gonna go check upstairs, make sure she's okay."

"Sure, honey."

The door to Ali's bedroom is closed when Ashlyn reaches the top of the stairs, and she knocks quietly as she opens the door.

"Alex?"

The room is as dark as it possibly can be at this point in the afternoon, and Ali groans in response. Ashlyn shuts the door gently behind her, padding over to the bed and crouching down, resting her chin on the mattress so that she can look Ali in the eyes, but she keeps them closed.

"What's wrong?" she whispers.

"Migraine," Ali whimpers.

"Oh, babe," Ashlyn sighs. "What can I do? Can I get you something?"

"Dunno," Ali moans.

Ashlyn stands and goes to the bathroom, wetting a washcloth with cold water and wringing it out before going back and sitting near Ali's head, brushing the hair off her forehead.

"Cold," she warns gently, and Ali hisses a little, but squeezes Ashlyn's knee to let her know that it's okay. "How about this?" Ashlyn continues. "I'll block out all the light, bring you some Excedrin and some ice, and I'll take Molly for the rest of the day. What about if I take her to Tysons Corner, is that okay?"

"Yeah," Ali whispers. "Just don't let her... spend all your money."

Ashlyn snorts. "Deal." She gets up, presses a gentle kiss to Ali's temple, makes sure the blinds are completely shut before pulling the curtains tighter and throwing a couple of bath towels over them for extra coverage. She brings Ali a bottle of water and is happy to find that she's dozed off by the time she gets back upstairs. She leaves the bottle of Excedrin next to it, along with a Post-It note that simply says " _Love you._ "

 

* * *

 

It's a team effort getting them out of the house. Ken and Ashlyn take Molly's booster seat out of Deb's SUV and move it to Ashlyn's Jeep while Deb tries to get Molly dressed as she explains to her why she can't go show Ali the outfit she picked out. She's got an almighty pout on her face when she comes downstairs, and Ashlyn makes a face right back at her.

"What's with the face, kiddo?"

"I wanted to show Mommy my outfit but Grandma won't let me go in there."

Ashlyn squats down and waves her over.

"You know how Mommy always does whatever she can to take care of you? Well, Grandma is doing the same thing for Mommy that Mommy does for you. Mommy's head hurts really, really bad right now and the best way to take care of her is to be very quiet and let her rest. So you and I are gonna go and have a fun day together. That sound good?"

"I guess."

Ashlyn laughs, reaching over to tickle Molly's sides. "I'm taking you shopping! You could act a little more excited, you know!"

"Okay, okay!" Molly giggles. "Mama, stop!"

Ashlyn takes pity on her, pulling her into a hug and kissing her on the cheek. "Okay, go get your coat."

 

* * *

 

Tysons Corner is huge, sprawling and when the first thing Molly says is "Wow!", Ashlyn knows she's in for a long afternoon. That fact is further solidified when she picks up a guide map and realizes that there are literally hundreds of stores spread out over its three stories.

They enter the mall right next to Barnes & Noble, and Molly lights up, taking Ashlyn by the hand and pulling her straight into the kids section. She's only temporarily distracted by the brightly-colored toys, puzzles, and games before she runs over to a wall of novels.

"I think the ones over here might be more your speed, sweetheart," Ashlyn says, steering her over to a shelf full of larger books.

"What's your favorite book, Mama?"

"Ah, now that's a good question," Ashlyn says, running her fingers along the spines of the books until she sees what she was looking for. "When I was your age, this was my favorite."

"What is it?"

"It's called _Where the Wild Things Are_. Come on, you're in for a real treat."

Ashlyn finds a spot in the corner and props herself up against the bookcases, and Molly climbs into her lap, laying back against her as Ashlyn holds the book out in front of them. She reads all about Max and his journey to the wild things, complete with different voices and Molly is enthralled from start to finish.

"I liked that," she says softly as Ashlyn closes the book.

"Told you it was a good one. How about we bring it home? Maybe if Mommy feels better later tonight we can read it to her."

"Okay. Can you read it, though? You tell good stories."

"Sure, sweetheart," Ashlyn says, taking her hand as they head toward the register. "I don't know how good I am at stories, though. Mommy might have to help."

"You _are_  good at stories! You told me a story with the pictures on your arm."

Ashlyn smiles at her, slightly disbelieving. "You remember that?"

Molly nods. "And you told me the story about Bubbles."

"Wow. A memory like that deserves a treat later."

Ashlyn sticks to her word, as usual. Even though she did promise her a treat, she has to steer Molly away from a store called Candy Heaven (Ali would kill her), somehow managing to convince her that there were even better places waiting for them in the rest of the mall. She sees the Disney Store before Molly does, and they pass an older couple who chuckles at the sight of a grown woman pulling her child in that direction instead of the other way around.

Ashlyn lets Molly look at what seems like every single item in the store, taking her phone out and making a list of the things she gets most excited about to buy for her birthday. She would never let her leave empty-handed, though, so she brings her to the clearance section. Molly's thrilled when Ashlyn tells her she can buy two books (she picks a Frozen read-along and Toy Story Look-and-Find) and pick out a new t-shirt or nightgown. They're about to check out when something catches Molly's eye.

"Mama, can we maybe get one more thing?"

"What's that?"

Molly goes back to the corner and picks up three princess tiaras. "Can we get these?"

Ashlyn takes them from her, and seeing the $3.99 sticker, decides she can cave (a little). "I don't think you need three, kiddo," Ashlyn says gently. "How about pick your favorite one and maybe we can get the others another time."

"But they're not all for me," Molly reasons. "The Ariel one is for me, Sleeping Beauty is for Mommy and Cinderella is for you. So we can all wear them and be princesses. Please?"

There are worse things than being asked (forced?) to wear a tiara, Ashlyn reasons, and she knows that there will come a day where Molly will be older and not satisfied with anything cheaper than the latest iPhone. So she chooses to enjoy this time, and deal with Ali later.

"If we get all three, you have to promise to share. If Mommy wants to wear the Ariel one, you need to let her have a turn, okay?"

Molly promises, and she hugs Ashlyn as the cashier scans their items.

"Thank you, Mama. I love you."

Ashlyn has to fight back against the rush of emotion as she bends down to press a kiss to the top of Molly's head.

"You're welcome. I love you, too."

 

* * *

 

They leave the Lush kiosk with an assortment of bath bombs for Ali (Ashlyn makes sure to pick at least two that she likes as well, wishfully thinking about when they may possibly have time to share a bath without Molly bursting in), continuing to wander around a little longer until Ashlyn spots Vans.

"Can you walk in here with me? I just want to look at some shoes."

They're walking up a side aisle, where the shoes end and accessories start near the register, when Molly tugs on the hem of Ashlyn's shirt.

"What, sweetheart?"

"Can I have one more thing?"

Ashlyn wants to tell her that she's gotten enough, but really, more than half of it is books and clothes and she can't imagine what Molly might want from Vans, but she indulges her anyway.

"Well, that depends," she says as if she hasn't already decided. "What do you see that you like?"

"That!" Molly says, pointing above her head.

Ashlyn looks at where she's pointing, then back down at Molly, her eyes narrowed. She takes it down off the shelf, crouching down so they are eye-level.

"You want this?" she asks, holding out the child-sized navy snapback with white stars on it, Vans logo stitched across the middle. "You sure?"

Molly nods. "I wanna look like you!" she says, pointing at the black polka-dot hat on Ashlyn's head.

There's no way Molly's not getting the hat now, but Ashlyn makes a (ridiculous) mental note to have more of a backbone in case Molly begs her to take her to get a tattoo at any point over the next fourteen years while citing her desire for them to match.

Ashlyn assures the cashier that they don't need a bag, popping off the tag and adjusting the snaps so that it will fit snugly before sticking it backwards on Molly's head.

The bright grin she gets in return is worth every penny.

 

* * *

 

Their last stop of the day is at Cold Stone to get Molly's "treat" that Ashlyn promised, and Ashlyn says they have to split so that they don't totally spoil their dinner. She turns her nose up a little when Molly picks vanilla ice cream and mixes in peanut butter and gummy bears, but it's surprisingly tasty and Ashlyn actually finds herself enjoying it.

"Hey Mol?" she says when they're about halfway through the cup.

"Yeah?"

"What made you decide to call me Mama?"

Molly tilts her head a little, thinking, and then she shrugs. "When Mommy and I came to see you, Margot called her mommy that."

"Oh." Obviously.

Molly sighs, exasperated, and Ashlyn has to stop herself from smirking. "You're like my mommy, too, remember? And I can't call you _and_  Mommy 'Mommy', you won't know who I'm talking to."

Ashlyn gets another spoonful of ice cream, nodding. "It would have been very confusing. You're so right."

Molly beams, proud and flattered by the compliment, as she gnaws at the gummy bear between her back teeth. The ice cream is gone in a few more bites, and Ashlyn lets Molly tip the cup over to get the last drops out of the bottom.

"Okay, what do you say we go home and check on Mommy, huh? See if her head's feeling better?"

Molly holds out her hands to be cleaned, and as Ashlyn pulls the tiny bottle of hand sanitizer out of her pocket, she smiles. If someone had told her a year ago that she'd be here, shopping with a little girl who she loved as her own, sharing ice cream and carrying hand sanitizer because _germs are everywhere, Ashlyn_... she would have asked them to get their head examined. But now?

She wouldn't trade this for anything.

They're walking back towards where they entered, passing several stores until Ashlyn stops just beyond one of them, suddenly struck with a thought. Molly almost falls backward when their joined hands stop her forward motion.

"Mama," she says once she regains her footing, "why did you stop?"

Ashlyn, staring off into the distance, is silent for a moment before a smile spreads across her face.

"I could use your help with something really important, kiddo. One more store. You up for it?"

"Okay!"

Ashlyn turns them around and leads them into the store they had passed.

A young man, suit pressed and hair slicked, greets them as they walk in, looking between the two of them as he speaks.

"Hi ladies! My name is Grant. How can I help you two today?"

Ashlyn picks Molly up, settling her on her hip before turning to whisper in her ear. Molly scrunches her face in concentration, perking up when Ashlyn's words register in her brain.

"Really?"

Ashlyn nods. "Tell him!" she whispers excitedly.

"We need to buy Mommy a pretty ring."

"Well, you've come to the right place! What are we buying the pretty ring for?"

Molly looks at Ashlyn for help, the answer for that question not having been provided, and Ashlyn whispers to her again.

"Mama wants her to marry her."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has a continuation that i'll hopefully post before the end of the weekend. just didn't want to make you guys wait any longer for _anything_. i know i'm slow with updating, please don't be too frustrated with me! :( p.s. this is about as cliffhanger-y as i'll ever get on you.


	15. xv.

"They're so shiny, Mama!"

Molly is in absolute awe as Ashlyn holds her up, reminding her not to touch the glass as she gapes at the rows of rings in the case.

"Yes, they are. And the shinier they are, the more money they cost."

Grant chuckles under his breath.

"But you know what? Mommy's worth it. So you point to— don't touch the glass!— point to whichever ones you think are the prettiest and then we'll choose our favorite together, okay? Let's pick... five."

The first few Molly picks all seem to have one thing wrong with them, in Ashlyn's mind: one's a little too plain, one has a diamond that's just too big, one's too elaborate, too twisted, and one actually has an emerald, which is a little too nontraditional for Ashlyn's taste.

But then the last one?

The last one is perfect.

And even though Ashlyn's eyes widen dramatically when she sees the price, even as she mutters " _Sheesh_ , her mother's daughter, for sure. Same expensive taste and everything!" under her breath, she knows that this is the one.

"Molly, I think this is my favorite. Good job," Ashlyn praises before turning to Grant. "Can I see it closer?"

He hands it over and Ashlyn is still in awe of how truly stunning it is. Her first thought is that _**geez** , there are diamonds **everywhere**_ — the obvious large one in the center, of course, but then there's the surrounding pavé halo and the ten smaller diamonds running down either side. The bottom of the band is equally beautiful, engraved with a delicate floral pattern and simply put, it's perfect.

Ali was going to love everything about it.

Ashlyn can suddenly see it, in striking clarity, on Ali's finger. How she'd hold her hand out as she showed her family and friends. The warmth of the metal against Ashlyn's palm when they held hands. The way it would sparkle, catch the sunlight when she'd reach up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. How it would look paired with a sexy dress for a night out on the town or with sweatpants for a grocery run to WalMart.

"Mama?" Molly says, pulling Ashlyn from her daydream.

"Yeah?"

"Mommy will like this. It looks like a princess ring."

"I think you're right, my girl," she says, kissing Molly's temple before handing the ring back to Grant. "This is the one. We'll take it."

Ashlyn pays, heart pounding against her ribcage as she realizes _holy **shit** I just bought an engagement ring_ , before a warmth settles there instead. She can't help but feel like they were always headed here. That God or fate or sheer dumb luck, whichever was to be believed in by anyone at any given time, had put them on that plane, on that day and in the same row, because it was meant to be. That she was always meant to love her, and nothing in the universe could have stopped it from happening. That Ali was always meant to annoy her by pressing her cold toes against her at night, always meant to give her butterflies when she smiled at her, just a little crooked, hint of tongue poking out between her teeth.

Ashlyn can't imagine her life without Molly, either; this sweet, funny, sassy miniature version of Ali, who loves animals and ice cream and is probably the world's best snuggler. She doesn't want to think about a world without her little voice, calling her 'Mama' or asking her to read a book or if maybe, if she's good, can she have one more cookie (if they don't tell Mommy).

Ashlyn signs the receipt and Molly waves bye to Grant enthusiastically as they head out of the store and towards the car.

"So you're really going to give Mommy the princess ring?"

"Yep," Ashlyn says. "And one day soon, I'm going to do something really special for her. I'll probably need your help, too. I'm going to tell Mommy how much I love her, and I'm going to give her the pretty ring and I'll ask her if she'll marry me."

"What's marry?"

"It's when two people who love each other very, very much promise that they're going to love each other forever. And that means all the time, not just sometimes. It means that I'll promise to love Mommy the same whether we're mad or happy or sad. I'll love her when she buys me presents and I'll love her even when she eats the last cookie."

"You will?!"

"Don't worry, kiddo. You and I can have a secret stash of cookies that Mommy can't touch."

"Good," Molly says as they walk up to Ashlyn's Jeep. "Mommy says I'm good at sharing but I don't like to share cookies."

Ashlyn laughs. "Neither do I. Neither do I." She lifts Molly up into the backseat, putting their shopping bags on the seat next to her and getting her situated in her booster seat.

"Now you need to do me a big favor," Ashlyn says as she clicks in the last of Molly's buckles.

"What?"

"You need to do your absolute best not to tell Mommy about the princess ring, okay? Because it's supposed to be a surprise and I want to give it to her at the right time."

"How will you know when?"

"I'll just know. But I promise I will tell you, okay?"

"Okay."

Ashlyn gets a high five before she shuts the door and climbs into the driver's seat.

"Mama?" Molly asks as Ashlyn starts the engine.

"What's up?"

"Mommy's going to be happy when you give her the ring."

Ashlyn smiles at her in the rearview mirror.

"I think she will be, too, sweetheart. I can't wait."

 

* * *

 

"Quiet, okay?" Ashlyn whispers to Molly outside of Ali's bedroom door. "We're gonna make sure Mommy's head feels okay before we talk loud."

Molly nods, book clutched in her arms, as Ashlyn opens the door and pokes her head in.

The bedside lamp is on, which Ashlyn knows is a good sign, and Ali smiles as she sits up in the bed, which is the best sign. Molly pushes the door open even further, not pleased at being left out.

"Well, there are my two favorite girls," she says softly, brushing her hair back. "Did you two have fun today?"

"Yes," Molly says in a relatively quiet "whisper", holding the book up over her head as she walks to the side of the bed. "Mama bought me her favorite book from when she was little like me."

"Oh wow," Ali says, taking the book and smiling warmly at Ashlyn as she helps Molly up to the bed.

"Yes ma'am," Ashlyn says, leaning over to brush a kiss against Ali's forehead. "Better?"

"Not 100%, but definitely bearable. Thanks for taking care of me."

"Mommy?"

"Yes, sweet girl?"

"Can me and Mama read you the Wild Thing book?"

"I would love that," Ali murmurs, scooting over and letting Ashlyn sit next to her. Molly climbs in between them, settles in Ali's arms, cuddling closer when Ali kisses her temple.

"You never told me this was your favorite book."

"Yeah," Ashlyn says. "I would go to the library after school every day and read it. It was better than going home, at least," she adds quietly, and Ali slips a hand into Ashlyn's, squeezes.

"This book taught me a lot," she continues, louder, getting Molly's attention as well. "It taught me that imagination can take you anywhere. And it taught me that your parents—" Ali notices her stop, stumble, try to figure out how to say it, "parents have your best interests at heart, even when it doesn't seem like they do. Just like even though Max's mom sent him to bed for not behaving... his supper was still hot when he got back home."

"So even if he was bad, his mommy still loves him?"

"Yeah," Ashlyn says. "And that's the most important lesson: love. The Wild Things love Max, and his mommy loved him, too. The Wild Things loved Max so much they even wanted to eat him up! And that's how much I love you!"

"Spoiler alert," Ali grumbles, but she smiles at Ashlyn.

Ashlyn glares back playfully, bends down, attacks Molly with kisses as she makes little growling sounds and Molly squeals in amusement.

"Okay, okay," Ali giggles. "C'mon, Mama, let's get this show on the road."

Ashlyn opens the book and clears her throat dramatically.

_"The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another..."_

 

* * *

  
Ali insists that she feels good enough to give Molly her bath, and even though it takes her a good ten minutes, she convinces Ashlyn to go and make her a mug of tea while she and Molly stay upstairs.

Ashlyn brings the shopping bags in the house, setting them by the bottom of the stairs before she hears the rustle of paper from the living room, noticeable in the quiet house, the only other sound the white noise of the bath water running in the pipes. She puts her hands in her pockets, taking a deep breath and padding down the entryway.

She's trying to be quiet, but the slight creak of the hardwood floor gives her away.

"Hey," Kyle says, curled into the left side of the couch and surprisingly unstartled as he looks up from the book he's reading.

"Hey," she answers softly before looking around. "Are, um... are your parents home?"

"No, they ran to Target. With the extra Christmas stuff that Alex brought, they needed more storage bins," he chuckles. "Why? What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you. Alone."

"Oh?"

"Can I?" Ashlyn asks, gesturing to the sofa, and Kyle nods as he pats the cushion next to him. She sits down, feeling a little sick to her stomach, bouncing her knee to try to calm herself down.

"Everything okay?" he asks, noticing how Ashlyn immediately starts fidgeting, wringing her hands.

"Yeah, everything's great," she lies, completely obvious.

"You sure? Pretty sure you're literally sweating a little, hon—"

"You know I love her, right?"

Kyle sits up straighter, shutting his book with a soft thud. "...yes. Where are you going with this? Because you know if you're about to say anything besides how perfect and wonderful my sister is, I'll probably—"

"Wha—  _Kyle_!" she says, stopping to take a deep breath when she realizes how her voice has risen. "I— I want to marry her."

Ashlyn isn't sure what reaction she expects from Kyle. She doesn't know whether he'll get defensive, or grill her, or tell her she's crazy. She doesn't know if he'll say Ali's too good for her, if he'll laugh or cry, or if he'll say that Ashlyn's the best thing that ever happened to his sister.

"You... you do?"

"I love her and Molly more than anything," Ashlyn says, voice steady and strong. "She's the most amazing woman I've ever met and all I want to do for the rest of my life is make her as happy as she's made me since the day I met her."

Kyle watches Ashlyn's face for any sign of hesitation, and when he sees how serious she is, how much she means everything she's said, he throws his arms around her. He can feel Ashlyn relax in his embrace, but not fully, so he rubs a hand over her shoulder blade, trying to get her to say something or react. When he doesn't get that, he pulls back, looking at her with soft eyes.

"Is this what you were so worried about? My blessing?" he says, backtracking once he hears himself. "I mean, if Alex wants to marry you, that's her decision, no one else's. But is this what you wanted? Me telling you to that I definitely want to gain a new sister?"

Ashlyn cracks a smile then, and Kyle gives her an answering one.

"Well, yeah, that. And I wanted you to see this."

She digs into her pocket, pulling out a small drawstring bag and (unnecessarily) checking over both of their shoulders before taking the ring out.

"Jesus!" he gasps dramatically. "You trying to blind me with that thing?"

"Do you think she'll like it?"

"How are you even asking me that question?! She's going to cry her eyes out and show this ring to every stranger she passes on the street."

Ashlyn laughs then, a happy, relieved chuckle, and for the first time, she realizes that _she's_  crying a little, the emotion of the moment catching up to her. Kyle's wholehearted approval of both her plans and her ring eases the tension she feels, and she sighs.

"She's the one. I've dreamed about her... my whole life, it feels like. And now she's here, _we're_  here and I would marry her tomorrow if I could."

"We couldn't ask for a better person to join our family, Ashlyn," Kyle says, a little choked up himself. "You've been amazing to both of them, and they love you so much. And we do, too."

"Thanks," she murmurs, slipping the ring back into the pouch. "Bro."

Kyle nudges her with his shoulder.

"No problem, sis."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in case you're wondering, [this](http://i.imgur.com/BjedR5W.png) is ali's ring. hope this wrapped up the previous installment all nicely for you! see you soon. :)


	16. xvi.

"Ashlyn," Ali whispers.

No response.

"Ash."

Nothing.

"Ashhhhhlynnnn."

Still nothing.

Ali ducks under the covers, settles herself on her stomach between Ashlyn's legs and pulls, yanking Ashlyn further down the bed, her head flopping off the pillows and onto the mattress. Ashlyn grunts in response, tries to turn onto her side and away, but Ali grips her legs harder and stops her.

Ashlyn, obviously still (mostly) asleep, mumbles something that sounds vaguely like "Stoppppp", and even though Ashlyn can't see her, a lascivious grin spreads across Ali's face. She slips her fingers into the waistband of Ashlyn's boyshorts, pulls them halfway down her hips.

That starts to get Ashlyn's attention. She lifts the covers up to reveal Ali.

"Al? What're you—"

Ali pulls the boyshorts down even further, presses a kiss to her thigh, and looks up at Ashlyn through those long eyelashes.

Ashlyn's fully awake now, her hand releasing the blanket in favor of reaching down to tangle in Ali's hair.

"Shit, okay. Got it. No talking."

Ali goes back to the spot she had been in previously, but doesn't move much, presses her lips frustratingly light and elusive in the same area until Ashlyn whines low in her throat. Ashlyn's just about to threaten her with bodily harm if she doesn't do something _soon_  when there's a soft knock, and the door opens quicker than Ashlyn expects it to.

"Mama?"

The hand in Ali's hair tightens and Ashlyn bolts upright, Ali going completely rigid and pressing her cheek against the mattress between Ashlyn's thighs at the sound of Molly's voice.

"Molly! _Hey_!" Ashlyn says loudly, dramatically, as if Ali weren't fully aware of her presence. Molly jumps a little in shock, but recovers quickly.

"Where's Mommy?"

Ashlyn has never been more thankful for the mountain of blankets Ali keeps on her bed in the cold months, because as long as she says still, Ashlyn's pretty confident Molly won't notice the Mommy-sized lump in their current position.

"Um, I— don't know? She's probably downstairs with Grandma. Can you go look for me?"

"Okay!" Molly says, shutting the door behind her as she starts to run down the hallway.

Ali waits until she hears Molly's footsteps fade away before she bites at Ashlyn's hipbone. Ashlyn yelps, whips the covers off of them in one smooth motion, and if Ali's eyes weren't so fiery (from lust, embarrassment, or anger? Ashlyn thinks it's a toss-up.) she probably would have started laughing.

"I can't believe you!"

"What?! _Me_?!"

"Why didn't you lock the door?!" Ali growls, completely mortified.

"Wha— I _literally woke up with you between my legs_!" Ashlyn hisses incredulousy.

They stare at each other, panting, for a few seconds before Ashlyn actually _does_ start laughing, falling back against the pillows as she wheezes, unable to catch her breath, tears forming in her eyes. Ali joins her a second later, pulling her underwear back up and laying her head on Ashlyn's chest.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Ali says, still giggling, lips brushing Ashlyn's collarbone.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Ashlyn answers, taking a deep breath. "You know, it could have been worse. At least we still had all our clothes on."

Ali groans. "Oh my God."

Ashlyn kisses her forehead.

"Well," Ali says, "even though the first part of my plan for the day hit a slight snag, I've got some other things up my sleeve."

"Oh?"

"I figured we could spend the first part of the day together as a family. Go get some hot chocolate, maybe warm up in the Conservatory at the Botanic Garden?"

"Yeah, sure!" Ashlyn agrees. "You really love flowers, don't you?"

"I— yeah, I do. What makes you say that?"

Ashlyn shrugs. "We end up in places with flowers a lot. Like for one of our first dates, we spent that afternoon at the Arboretum. We went to the Palmengarten in Frankfurt. Just something I noticed."

Ali looks at her thoughtfully for a moment. "I guess... I just love how they make me feel. Memories, you know? Like I can't see pink roses without thinking about the moment I saw you walking up at Molly's birthday party. Chrysanthemums remind me of that night we went—"

"—our date at Firefly, yeah."

"Well, Firefly and after," Ali adds, wiggling her eyebrows.

"You're terrible."

"That was a really good night. You have to admit it."

"Hey, I never said it wasn't. The details are slightly fuzzy, though — maybe we'll have to do it again sometime. Refresh my memory."

Ali smirks.

"So we'll go to the Botanic Garden, then my parents are going to meet us downtown so they can take Molly off to somewhere fun while we spend the rest of the night together. I signed us up for one of those wine and paint night things that's a short walk away."

"You— a wine and paint night? Really?"

"Wha— oh, did you... we can do something else, if you want?"

"No, no!" Ashlyn insists, taking Ali's hand in hers. "Wine for you, paint for me. It's almost as perfect as you are."

Ali pinches her, still waiting for an answer.

" _Ouch_ , okay! I just, I don't know— I figured you'd wanna dress up. Candles, fancy dinner, the works."

Ali smiles, shaking her head and leaning up to kiss Ashlyn.

"Honey, we have a rambunctious four-year-old. _Any_  alone time I can get with you is precious. Now c'mon, get up!"

Ali barely evades Ashlyn's attempt at reciprocation for the playful smack she leaves on her ass.

 

* * *

 

Ken and Deb meet them outside of the Botanic Garden as dusk begins set in, and Deb passes Ali a bottle of merlot as she and Ashlyn kiss Molly goodbye. She's resistant at first, insisting that she needed to stay with Ali and Ashlyn, but Ali allows Ken to bribe her with pizza, and the peace returns as quickly as it had left.

The studio is only a few blocks away, and Ashlyn happily lets Ali snuggle into her side as they make their way down the street. There's a ("crazy, it's so cold!" according to Ashlyn) vendor on the sidewalk selling hot, soft pretzels, and Ali digs a $5 bill out of her pocket and gets them one to split. Ashlyn looks at her, funny expression on her face.

"Ah, yes. I forgot 'wine and cheese' was a thing of the past. Wine and pretzels now."

"Hey, we didn't eat dinner," Ali mumbles around a mouthful of dough. "Hush."

Ali pops the cork on their bottle as soon as they sit down in the studio, pouring the wine into two long-stemmed glasses as their instructor walks into the room. She's got curly grey hair, a hippie-like vibe to her, and Ali nudges Ashlyn.

"That's gonna be you when you're sixty-five. Except with more tattoos and less fringe."

Ashlyn sticks her tongue out, and her eyes light up when the instructor tells them that they can follow along with what she's painting or choose a different picture out of a binder. Ali flips through her options, settling on a simple shot of the Eiffel Tower, flowers in the foreground. She goes to hand the binder to Ashlyn, but she just shakes her head.

"I'll do that one, too."

"But mine will look like Molly did it blindfolded compared to yours," Ali whines.

"Ooh, ouch. Poor Mol. Better watch out, Mama's gonna start being her favorite if you keep dragging her like that," Ashlyn laughs. "Besides, I'm gonna take some liberties with my version, so they won't look the same."

"Will you help me?" Ali asks, tiny pout on her face as she reaches for the mason jar full of fresh, clean brushes to pull it closer to them.

"Nope, because you won't need it."

Ali is surprised at how relatively easy it all is. Her nerves disappear with Ashlyn at her side (though Ashlyn would just chalk it up to the wine), but she stops more than once, getting distracted by the blonde. With her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, Ali is free to watch the muscles of Ashlyn's forearm flex as she expertly, effortlessly starts to fill her canvas.

"If you don't keep working on your own painting, you're gonna be too tipsy to finish it and then all of this was for nothing," Ashlyn murmurs, eyes never leaving her easel, and Ali wonders how she even noticed with how focused she's been the entire time.

Ali sets her wine glass down, and Ashlyn stops painting for a few minutes to give her some tips; how to simplify the process by using a grid, which type of brush is best for what. Ali grins proudly when she finishes the top three squares of her grid, and Ashlyn happily leans over to press a quick kiss to her lips.

Before long, everyone is wrapping up except for Ashlyn, who is still switching between brushes and adding more and more to her piece, a little peek of tongue at the corner of her mouth as she concentrates. A flick here, an elegant stroke there, and Ali wonders how they've been together for almost a year and she's never sat down and actually watched Ashlyn work. It brings a warmth to her chest (that she knows isn't the wine), the skill and talent, the dedication of this amazing woman.

"Thank you all for a wonderful evening!" the instructor says. "Feel free to mingle and finish your drinks, and get home safely; we have taxis waiting outside if you need them."

Ali daintily paints her initials on the bottom right corner of her canvas, which Ashlyn (truthfully) tells her is actually pretty good, before putting her brush down and picking up her wine glass again. Ali watches her in silence for another minute before Ashlyn sighs.

"I always wanted to get to Paris," Ashlyn says softly as everyone starts to stand, move around.

"Yeah?" Ali says as she takes a sip of merlot. "Why didn't you go?"

Ashlyn shrugs, showing off a little as she adds tiny, twinkling stars to the night sky on her canvas.

"I wanted to go and actually enjoy it. I didn't want to rush through it all in a day, or go when... when I wasn't happy."

Ali sighs. "Honey."

"It's okay," Ashlyn says, gentle smile on her face as she paints the soft, vague outlines of two women. "I kept telling myself that one day, I was going to do it right. A week, ten days. Beautiful 5-star hotel room with a view, a balcony where I could paint in the morning while you still slept in bed. Lots of touristy stuff, of course — we'd go to the Louvre no less than twice, maybe three times — but finding cafés and quiet little streets would be perfect. And then, if you wanted, we could hit up Disneyland Paris for a couple of days."

"Molly would be so mad!"

"We can keep a secret!"

"We can't not bring her to _Disneyland_ , Ashlyn."

"Not to Paris, no!" Ashlyn hisses quietly, remembering that there are other people around them. She leans over to whisper in Ali's ear. "First trip to Paris, just us, okay? If it's not, how can I guarantee you'll be naked as much as humanly possible?"

Ali just smirks.

"As long as you promise we'll bring her back with us."

"Cross my heart," Ashlyn says, cleaning her brush. "As long as you promise we can take her to Disney World. Because I've never been either so we're both overdue."

"Really?" Ali says, and Ashlyn can hear the emotion in her voice.

"Really really," she chuckles, leaning over to kiss Ali quickly. "Maybe even for her birthday. But we'll talk about that later, promise. It's my turn for a Valentine's gift."

 

* * *

 

Ali furrows her brow in confusion when Ashlyn gets off the freeway too early, about halfway through their drive back to the house.

"Uhhhh?"

"Pa-tience," Ashlyn sing-songs.

Ali huffs.

"Poor baby," Ashlyn says, reaching out and patting Ali on the knee while keeping her eyes on the road. She pulls into a calm little neighborhood a few minutes later, quaint houses in perfect rows, streetlamps dotted down the sidewalks. It reminds Ali both of their own neighborhood — close, tight knit, the remains of snowmen in every other yard — and of the house she grew up in — small, cozy, inviting. She finds herself smiling before she realizes it.

"What're you thinking about?"

"Wondering why you're driving us through this neighborhood instead of giving me my Valentine's gift," Ali sasses. "Honestly, these people are gonna think we're casing their houses. What are you doing?"

Ashlyn doesn't answer, just cranes her neck a little until she suddenly pulls over and parks next to the curb.

"Well, I can't exactly give you your gift while I'm driving, so I figured we'd pull over."

"You're giving me my gift... in the car?"

Ashlyn unbuttons the front pocket of her shirt and pulls out a small envelope, seemingly just big enough to hold the keyring (a heart that says " _Jemand in Deutschland liebt mich!_ ") that she slides out, shiny silver key dangling from it. She drops the envelope into the cup holder and puts the key in Ali's palm, smiling at her expectantly.

Ali gives her a funny look.

"What is this, the key to your heart? You can't be that cheesy."

"Weirdo," Ashlyn says, smiling. "No, actually, _that_  is the spare key to my condo. But really, it's just a prop. Because I don't have the real ones yet."

"What?"

"It's just a placeholder until we get the real keys to... _that_."

Ashlyn points out the passenger window.

It's dark, so the details aren't very clear, but the glow of the streetlamp nearby illuminates enough of the one-story house that Ali can tell it's on the older side. It definitely needs a landscaping overhaul, and the siding is a gaudy blue, outdated and a little dirty.

Ali's trying to figure out exactly what Ashlyn is referring to, because there's no way she can be talking about getting the keys to this _house_. She's about to say as much when she finally notices a metal sign stuck deep into the patchy grass of the front yard. There's a couple on the front, standing back-to-back in a terribly cliché pose, their heads barely peeking over a noticeable red strip reading " **SALE PENDING** " in big, bold letters across the face.

Ali looks back, mouth hanging open slightly in complete disbelief.

"A-Ashlyn?"

"Happy Valentine's Day," Ashlyn whispers.

"What?" Ali breathes, eyes wide and expression unreadable.

"Before you say anything, I know it looks a little rough right now," Ashlyn says as she clicks on the light near the rearview mirror and pulls some folded papers out of the glovebox. "But it's a steal and with the price we could get it at, we could renovate everything. Whatever you want, we'll get it in there. Here, look."

Ashlyn unfolds the papers, doing her best to smooth out the creases. "We obviously can't go in, so here's what it looks like in there now. Kitchen, living room, dining room. This is the master, the bathroom is huge and we can get a big jacuzzi tub put in. And there's three more bedrooms, so Molly will be in one, then for now we can use one as a guest room and maybe I can paint in the other one. And I have a friend who is an interior designer and does some remodeling, and she's totally willing to help us out. Look, this is what she came up with for Molly's room. She'd put a window seat in with built-in shelves for her toys and books. And there's a closet but there's also this tiny wardrobe she found that Mol can put her princess dresses in."

Ali's mouth is moving, but she can't form words, so Ashlyn presses on.

"This is a great area, too. The school district is awesome. As much as I hate to think about Molly growing up, I know you hate it even more. But at least when she goes to kindergarten, it'll be in an excellent school. I know we wanted some extra bedrooms, and this house has four. Plus it's exactly where we wanted to be — about halfway between downtown and your parents. And I know, I know we probably could build something or buy something that didn't need as much work but this just seemed like, after we spruced it up, it would be perfect."

Ali is still speechless.

"Babe? Are you okay? Can you say something?"

"I—" Ali says, punctuated with a heavy sigh. "I don't— I—"

Ashlyn deflates.

"Shit," she mutters. "I'm sorry. I should have talked to you first," she says, dejected, feelings hurt as she shifts the Jeep into drive and starts to pull off, to head back in the direction of the Krieger house.

"Ash, stop."

"No, it's okay, I underst—"

"Ashlyn, stop the damn car!"

Ashlyn pulls back over toward the curb, putting the car back in park and fighting back tears. She looks straight out the windshield, not meeting Ali's eyes.

Ali starts to cry.

"I can't believe you did this."

"Alex, honey, I told you I'm sorry. I didn't—"

"No, Ashlyn... I _can't believe_ you did this."

Ali unbuckles, turning and wrapping her arms around a stunned Ashlyn's neck. Ashlyn is thrown off for a moment, her brain trying to do a 180 and react appropriately, so all she can do is hug Ali back, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her spine. She takes a few seconds before pulling back, ducking her head to try to meet Ali's gaze, her eyes downcast.

"So... you... like it?"

"No," Ali says through tears, looking up at Ashlyn. "It's hideous."

Ashlyn's eyes go wide before she shuts them and hangs her head a little.

"But you're right. It'll be so perfect when it's done."

Ashlyn's heads whips up.

Ali's smile is brilliant, even as her chin still quivers, and Ashlyn sighs in relief.

"That was really cruel. I seriously thought I really, really fucked up."

"I'm partially sorry," Ali says, a chuckle escaping as she wipes the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"I got us a house, lady! Have mercy on me."

"Mercy's not what I had in mind," Ali murmurs. She gets up on her knees, tries to climb into Ashlyn's lap, but as she goes to straddle her, Ali accidentally bumps the horn with her ass, and they both jump, cackling.

"Oh my God, just get us out of here!" Ali shrieks as she crawls back into the passenger seat, Ashlyn trying to reach for the gearshift around Ali's flailing limbs. "The neighbors are gonna hate us before they've even met us!"

(Ten minutes later, Ashlyn's parking in the darkness at the end of their block so no one can see them scramble into the back seat.)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as i mentioned on my tumblr, work has completely steamrolled me these past few weeks and then i got sick. so i sincerely and profusely apologize for the delay.


	17. xvii.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nope, you're not seeing things. ;) This story is back and will be finished if it's the last thing I doooo.

Ali coughs as she walks through the front door and into the living room, immediately opening the windows to dissipate the pungent mixture of sealant and fresh paint. Though it's unseasonably warm for April, the breeze that blows in is cool, refreshing and Ali already feels like she can breathe again.

A car door shuts in the distance, and Ashlyn walks in not a minute later, carrying a couple more of the boxes they'd brought over from her apartment. Her kitchen had been meticulously packed, Ali hand-wrapping every glass and plate (well, _overwrapping_  - "I love you, but by the time we pay for all of the bubble wrap you're using, Al - we might as well have just hired movers"). Ashlyn, meanwhile, had haphazardly folded most of the clothes from the drawers in her room, pumping her fist in the air when she managed to fit it all into a single duffle bag.

"So, how did the floors come out?" Ashlyn asks as she enters, unable to really see around the pile in her arms.

"They look fantastic," Ali confirms as she pulls out her bun, re-gathering her hair and tying it back on top of her head. "I'm really glad we went with this hardwood."

"You're wel-come," Ashlyn sing-songs, setting the stack of boxes near the entrance to the kitchen with a small grunt.

"Mhmm, yes, dear."

Ashlyn knows she's rolling her eyes, even though she can't see her face.

"Another victory for me and my impeccable artistic vision."

Ali snorts.

"Ugh," Ashlyn sighs as she swipes her arm across her forehead. "So over this moving thing."

"Remind me how many trips it took to bring all my stuff?"

"Three," Ashlyn grumbles as she shuffles towards the front door.

"And how many have we done for you so far?" Ali calls toward her back.

Ashlyn holds up five fingers over her shoulder for a brief moment before tucking four of them in and leaving one standing.

 

* * *

 

After the Jeep is emptied of boxes for the seventh time, Ashlyn takes one more walk to the car and returns with a thick blanket and a soft-sided cooler she had packed for them. She holds the cooler out in front of her and tilts her head to the side, charming smile on her face.

"Picnic?"

Ali chuckles. "I'd be delighted," she says, going over to push a few stacks of boxes further towards the wall so they have a bigger space. She spreads the blanket out in the middle of the floor while Ashlyn pulls a couple of paper plates from an outside zipper pocket. Ali kicks her shoes and socks off, Ashlyn following suit, and they settle on the floor. Ashlyn pulls out two bagged sandwiches, handing Ali the ham and swiss and keeping turkey and American for herself.

Ali sets half on her plate and takes small bites of the other, absently digging her toes into the blanket as she surveys the room.

They had gotten at least _some_  of the boxes organized. There were a few boxes by the door to Molly's room, labeled _MOLLY: TOYS_  and _MOLLY: DRESSES_  and _MOLLY: BOOKS_. A couple of boxes were open in the kitchen; silverware, dish towels, pots, and a mixer Deb had given them were piled on the new granite countertops. Some of Ali's dresses already hung in the master closet. With Ken's help earlier in the day, Ashlyn's well-worn drafting table was set up in the sunroom they had added on to the back of the house. Still a long way to go, though, with several boxes still at Ashlyn's place and most of what was yet to be opened occupying most of the space in the living room.

The upheaval and unfamiliarity of it all tenses Ali's muscles. A sense of finality hits her, as if her life were a book, and a long chapter was coming to an end. She feels like skipping to the last sentence, to get to the part where everything was settled and her world didn't seem as if it were knocked off its axis. While this change was definitely welcomed, wanted more than anything - it still brought with it a leap of faith.

Ashlyn notices that Ali has stopped eating, slowly picking the crust off the second half of her sandwich.

"Where are you?" Ashlyn asks around her bite of sandwich.

She's a little shocked to see Ali shake her head, swipe at the corner of her eyes.

"Hey, hey," Ashlyn says, concerned. She sets her sandwich down on the paper plate. "Talk to me."

Ali takes a drink before she speaks, sighs. "You know I'm happy, right?"

Ashlyn nods, but Ali can see how the question unnerves her.

"I just... I can't believe this is happening," Ali says, pressing her thumbs into the thin plastic of the water bottle in her hand, the crackle it makes echoing off the walls. The sound seems deafening. "That we're doing this, that this is _our_ house."

"I know." Ashlyn offers her a small smile. Ali returns it.

"It's just very... overwhelming," Ali continues, voice seemingly on the verge of cracking. "So much is changing. We're stepping into this new normal. This is the first real thing that we've done together. And I'm thrilled," she says with a hint of a laugh, "and over the moon and nervous and... yeah, overwhelmed."

Ashlyn stands up and holds a hand out for Ali. "C'mere."

Ali takes her hand, letting her help her off the floor. Ashlyn keeps their hands connected, pulling Ali close by wrapping her other arm around her waist. "I'm sweaty," Ali whines in protest.

"No excuses," Ashlyn counters close to her ear. As Ashlyn starts to sway them back and forth, slow and calming, Ali's mind brings her back to Christmas. The parallel of their late-night dancing by the tree settles her, and she relaxes against Ashlyn.

"We are going to make so many incredible memories in this place," Ashlyn says, the quiet squeak of their bare feet on the hardwood almost overpowering her hushed tone. "But those memories won't erase all of the amazing things we've done so far. We're just building on top of a strong foundation."

Ali squeezes her bicep in silent acknowledgement, grateful.

"This is new for all of us, but we are going to learn and grow together. They say if you never leave your pond, you'll never find the ocean, right?"

Ali lifts her head from Ashlyn's shoulder. "You always know what to say."

Ashlyn kisses her and the ground becomes a little more solid underneath Ali's feet, her world well on its way to righted.

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn brings the car to a stop in a prime parking spot, the sounds of nearby laughter easier to hear once she shuts off the engine. Ali is still staring straight ahead, trying to keep up appearances. Ashlyn reaches across the console and rests her hand over her girlfriend's.

"You ready?"

"Yes! I'm ready, let's go!" Molly says excitedly from her car seat in the back, struggling to undo the buckles herself. "Help, Mama, please."

"One second, sweetheart."

Ashlyn squeezes Ali's hand, unable to imagine how hard this is for her. Hell, it's hard enough for _Ashlyn_ , but she knows that Ali really won't be able to do this if they both break down crying. Ali alone had already shed more than enough tears for the both of them.

The brunette's chin quivers. "I'm never gonna be ready."

Ashlyn leans over, pressing a kiss to Ali's cheek and keeping her mouth near her ear. "Try to smile for her, babe. Time is going to fly and it will be over before you know it, I promise."

Molly practically leaps out of the backseat, stopping to wait for Ali to help her get the sparkly backpack on her shoulders. Ashlyn can see how hard Ali's trying, her smile tight and unnaturally wide, the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"Go stand over there, let Mommy take your picture!" Ashlyn points over to a spot right in front of a brightly-painted sign: _APPLE TREE PRESCHOOL_. Molly stands tall, hands on her hips, bright smile on her face. Not that she's biased in any way imaginable, but Ashlyn is already positive that Molly is going to be the cutest, best-dressed kid in the class.

Ali had spent hours the night before trying to pick out the perfect outfit. Molly was cranky after two outfit changes and a hellion after three, so Ali pulled Ashlyn into the decision-making. "They're all precious," Ashlyn had said, surveying the five or so outfits that Ali had laid out, but Ali wasn't satisfied. "She has to look _perfect_ , Ash," Ali whimpered right before the tears had started to fall again. A couple more bouts of tears later, some switching of accessories, and Ali finally decided on a sweet floral-patterned dress, a denim jacket on top and white tights, with a pink bow holding back the loose curls that Ali had carefully set that morning.

They each go up and take a picture next to her, and Molly's about to run off toward the playground before Ashlyn pulls her back in for a selfie of them all together.

 

* * *

 

After Molly had met her teachers and classmates, she still had plenty of time to run on the playground before they all would have to head inside. Ali had discreetly climbed in the backseat, Ashlyn sliding in behind her and putting her arms around her waist as they watched Molly almost instantly make a new friend.

"Honey," Ashlyn whispers. "How about I take you somewhere? We can go have a brunch date."

A sniff. "Not yet."

"Alex, we really should at least attempt to leave the parking lot," Ashlyn says gently, coaxing her.

Ali is wistful, watching Molly giggle as she goes up and down on a small seesaw. "Five more minutes?" She looks back at Ashlyn over her shoulder. "Please?"

If Ashlyn's being honest with herself, she's not really ready to leave either.

"I'll tell you what. Ten," she says, knowing that five was never going to happen anyway. "Then we can get teary-eyed over a mimosa or two and some Eggs Benedict."

That finally draws a small chuckle from Ali. She turns back towards the playground, settling back against Ashlyn's chest once more, tangling their fingers.

"Deal."

Ashlyn doesn't even want to think about Molly starting school full-time, because the next couple of hours are profoundly dull and feel like the longest of their lives. The session was only three hours, and they had ended up being in the parking lot for almost half an hour. While Ali seems to perk up at brunch (she eats most of the Eggs Benedict that she had originally insisted they split evenly, stealing bites off of Ashlyn's plate with a mischievous smirk), Ashlyn feels the opposite. Uneasy knots twist in her stomach, just enough to be noticed, emptiness and longing that she hadn't felt in months bubbling up inside her.

So it's not surprising that, even though it's not quite time to pick Molly up yet, Ashlyn is the one who breaks first, telling Ali to get back in the car so they can start heading over to pick her up.

"You know," she says, trying to play it off (terribly). "There might be... traffic."

Ali wants so badly to rib her for it, but the thinly-veiled eagerness in Ashlyn's eyes won't let her, the urgency to get back to their daughter overwhelming. And when Molly sprints towards them, tackles them both with as giant of a hug as she can muster, the tears finally fall from Ashlyn's eyes.

 

* * *

 

 _Funny how the sunroom is the perfect place on a rainy day_ , Ashlyn thinks. The steady, soothing rhythm of rain against a window is one of her favorite sounds to work to, and even though it's gloomy, she's actually grateful that the weekend started off this way.

Ali had brushed a kiss across her cheek, slipping out of Ashlyn's arms at some ungodly hour for her routine Saturday morning yoga session. She doesn't remember how long Ali was gone, but she was thankful that it felt like no time at all before she felt Ali burrow back under the covers, fresh from the shower and smelling like Ashlyn's body wash.

She still can't believe it sometimes, how her life has taken this crazy, wonderful turn. How Ali and Molly fit with her, seamlessly woven into her days and nights and all the moments in between, and how perfectly they've settled into this new home.

And it feels the most perfect from where she's sitting, Ashlyn thinks. She looks to her right, through the open kitchen and into the living room, and sees Ali, looking cozy and curled up on the recliner, blanket on her lap and her second mug of coffee cupped in her hands as she catches up on a cheesy Netflix drama.

Ashlyn smiles as she goes back to her sketch, a lazy still life of some plant she couldn't name that Ali kept in the corner of the room. She finishes off the flower she was working on and glances to her left.

Molly sits on a stool next to her, tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, intense concentration on her face as she tries to stay inside of the lines on her coloring page. Ashlyn waits until Molly finishes coloring in the sun - _never, ever rush an artist_ , she reminds herself - before she speaks.

"So, Mol," Ashlyn says as she cleans up her pencil lines, brushing away eraser dust with her pinky, "did you think about what you want Mommy and I to get you for your birthday?"

Molly thinks for a second, setting down her yellow crayon before answering.

"I think I should get a unicorn. Or a puppy, I guess," she shrugs before gasping, and Ashlyn sees the metaphorical light bulb click on in her head. "Or maybe if I'm really good I can have both and they can be best friends!"

"Well - first, may I say, excellent choices - maybe we should start with something a little smaller. How about we look into getting some toys first?"

"No thanks, Mama. I have lots of those." She pauses to think again. "Maybe my next best present can be a princess tea party. You and Mommy can bring the cookies."

Ashlyn taps Molly's nose.

"That, sweetheart, I can definitely make happen."

The landline rings in the kitchen (why they even _needed_  a landline, Ashlyn has no clue), and Ashlyn hops up to answer, but Ali sprints in from the living room, the combination of her socks and the tile allowing her to execute a _Risky Business_ -level slide that puts her between Ashlyn and the phone.

"That was kinda hot," Ashlyn says, more to herself than Ali, but Ali winks at her over her shoulder before she checks the Caller ID.

"Molly! Hurry! I think the phone is for you!" As Molly runs in, Ali accepts the call and hands the phone over. "Say hello," she whispers as she pulls out her cell phone and starts filming.

"Hello?"

The voice on the other end speaks and Molly's eyes go wide as saucers. That, along with her almost-comical jaw drop, would have been more than enough of a reaction for Ali. But Molly thrusts the phone in the air towards Ashlyn, and as Ali turns the camera towards her, Ashlyn finally hears who it is and her expression mirrors Molly's. Ali gives herself a mental pat on the back for pulling this surprise off.

"It's-" Ashlyn starts.

 _"MICKEY MOUSE!"_ Molly screams, and Ali can't contain her joy anymore, laughing in delight. Ashlyn squats down and holds the phone between their ears so she and Molly can both listen.

"What's he saying, guys?" Ali asks, knowing exactly what it is but wanting to hear her baby girl say it for herself. Ashlyn claps her hand over her own mouth in total surprise as Molly starts clapping.

 _"We're going to Disney World!"_ Molly squeals over and over, jumping up and down around the kitchen.

"We are! Happy birthday, baby!" Ali says before she stops the video, setting her phone down to pick Molly up in a hug, swinging her around. It's a fleeting moment, though, as Molly starts to squirm. "Mommy, please put me down! I gotta go get my dresses ready!" Ali sets her down, and she disappears down the hall.

Ali turns back to Ashlyn, who is still shaking her head in disbelief.

She asks the unnecessary question. "So, were you surprised?"

"How did you do that without spoiling it?!" Ashlyn is incredulous. "I mean you're pretty decent at keeping secrets, but this is huge!"

Ali steps up to her, hooking her fingers into the belt loops of Ashlyn's jeans and pulling her close. "For this reason, right here," she says softly. "I knew it would be worth it to see the two people I love the most be so happy." She reaches up to cup Ashlyn's face in her hands. "I absolutely can't wait to have the best time ever. Making memories with you and Molly at my side has been the most thrilling adventure I've ever been on."

Ashlyn kisses her, because she just _needs_  to, because she can't think of anything to say or do that would do any sense of justice to what Ali just said to her.

"There's just one thing," Ali says, putting her hand on Ashlyn's chest after they separate. "We're gonna be there for our anniversary. I know you were probably already planning something for us to do, but we _will_  celebrate when we get back. I promise I'll make it up to-"

Ashlyn kisses her again, and Ali can feel her start to smile against her lips in a matter of moments.

All of Ali's apprehension melts away.

"No need, trust me," Ashlyn assures her. "As long as we're together, whether it's at Disney or on our couch, it will be the best day I could ever hope for."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed! I have the next chapter nearly done, but I'm going to give it at least a few days so that those new to the fic can catch up, and those that are familiar with can have time to refresh their memory. I have the rest of this all laid out, but as a disclaimer, the number of chapters may change before it's all said and done. (And yes, I did change my username.)
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you think, if you have a favorite part (of this chapter, or the story as a whole), or anything. Thank you! :)


	18. xviii.

It’s just after 4:00 in the morning when they pull out of the driveway of the Krieger home (in Deb’s SUV, at her insistence), starting the nearly thirteen-hour car ride to Orlando. Ashlyn offered to drive first, downing a Red Bull and turning the radio as loud as she could without waking Molly and Ali. The roads are relatively empty, so she admittedly goes a little faster than she normally would to get them ahead of schedule.

Ali had assured her that they would be in Orlando in time for their pre-anniversary dinner at one of the nicest restaurants Disney World had to offer, Victoria & Albert’s. Ashlyn felt like they’d just fall asleep and face-plant into the fourth or fifth course but Ali said they could fit in a power nap before then.

_“We’ll be there by 5:00 and the reservation isn’t until 8:30. More than enough time to snooze, get dressed-“_

_“Well, maybe enough time for me to get dressed-“_

_“Keep that up and the red dress stays packed.”_

_“Shutting up.”_

Even though she’s doing her best to power through, Ashlyn’s thankful when Ali wakes up, bright-eyed, as they’re passing through North Carolina, four or five hours into the trip. Ali leans over, kissing the corner of Ashlyn’s mouth when she realizes she must have slept through Ashlyn’s pit stop at Starbucks. Once she polishes off her coffee, they pull over at the next gas station to fill up and take a bathroom break. Ali wakes Molly up to go, and Ashlyn discovers the true definition of “not a morning person”.

Ashlyn curls up in the passenger seat, and she naps until Molly’s hundredth “Mommy, are we there yet?” wakes her up somewhere in Georgia.

 

* * *

 

Ali ends up being right, and they pull up to their hotel a little after 5:00 and are unpacking in the room by 5:30. Ali separates their clothes into the different drawers while Ashlyn quietly unpacks the groceries, putting water bottles and boxes of apple juice into the small refrigerator. Molly scurries around the room, checking out the bathroom, opening drawers, in awe of this new world she’s stumbled on.

“Mommy, this is so cool! I love Disney World!”

Ali laughs. “You think this is Disney World? We haven’t even gone yet. You’re going to see Mickey and princesses and all kinds of cool stuff when we do, though!”

Molly squeals, standing up and jumping on the bed. Ashlyn lets out a few heavy sighs before she snaps “Molly, stop, please,” short and a little exasperated, rubbing at her temples. It’s the most she’s spoken since they got out of the car.

“Sit down nice, baby,” Ali says, looking over at Ashlyn while taking a coloring book and some crayons out of the little backpack Molly had brought with her. “Here, color in here for a little bit.”

Ashlyn’s sitting on the edge of the other queen bed in the room, head bent down, when Ali kneels in front of her and puts her hands on Ashlyn’s thighs.

“Hey, what’s up with you?”

“I don’t feel good, Alex,” Ashlyn huffs.

“What’s wrong?”

“Queasy. Bad.”

“Can I do anything? Maybe-”

Before Ali even has a chance to suggest anything, Ashlyn puts her fist up to her mouth.

“Move. _Move_!”

Ashlyn springs off of bed and stumbles for the bathroom, barely making it before she throws up. Ali is right on her heels, grabbing as much of her hair as she can and holding it back. 

“Mommy? Is Mama okay?”

“Just stay in there, baby,” Ali calls out. Ashlyn sits up and slumps back against the bathroom door with a heavy sigh.

“Shit.”

Ali is already by the sink getting her some water and a towel to wipe her face with. She squats down next to her and holds the glass out. “Here, rinse out your mouth,” she says gently. Ashlyn complies, taking the towel from Ali’s hand as well and swiping it across her face.

“What can I do?”

“I just wanna lay here,” Ashlyn mumbles, pitiful. “But thanks.” 

“Sure,” Ali says. She wants to keep an eye on her though, so she goes back to the bed to get her phone and assure Molly that Ashlyn was okay. Though Molly doesn’t seem overly convinced, she turns her attention back to her coloring book and the cartoon on TV.

Ali brings a pillow back with her, setting it near Ashlyn’s head, but still out of the way. Ashlyn keeps her eyes closed, but reaches her hand back and feels what Ali left. Ali boosts herself up to the space between the sinks, glancing down as Ashlyn puts the pillow underneath her head and gives Ali a soft “Love you.”

About twenty minutes later, Ali is three or four pages deep into a “what do you do if you start throwing up on vacation” Google search when Molly breaks the silence.

“M-Mommy?”

She sounds like she’s terrified, and when Ali scrambles out of the bathroom and sees Molly’s face, she knows what’s going to happen. She sees the look of pure, wide-eyed panic, knows that Molly is trying to figure out what’s wrong. 

It happens so quickly that Ali doesn’t have time to react before Molly throws up on the bed.

“Okay, okay, it’s okay,” Ali says, trying to soothe Molly as she starts to cry. She presses a kiss to her forehead before helping her take off her nightgown. She guides Molly to the bathroom, having her stand near the sink while she gently urges Ashlyn to switch places with them. Ashlyn groggily scoots across the floor, and Ali hands her the small trashcan from the bathroom while she starts the warm water in the shower for Molly.

Once she’s clean and less upset, Molly curls up in Ali’s lap and finally allows Ali to blow dry her damp hair. Ali is pulling a fresh, clean nightgown over Molly’s head when she hears Ashlyn double over the toilet again. She sighs, tucking Molly into the (clean) bed that she and Ashlyn had been sleeping in.

It was going to be a long night.

Before she heads back to the bathroom to tend to Ashlyn, she picks up the phone on the nightstand.

“Hi, this is Room 1194. I really hate to ask, but can you please send housekeeping?”

 

* * *

 

“Thank you again, I’m so sorry. I really appreciate your help,” Ali says to the duo of housekeepers as they head back towards the elevators. She shuts the door softly, clicking the lock and pressing her back against the door. _It could be going worse_ , she thinks. Thankfully, both the restaurant and the child care center had been understanding when she called to cancel, waiving the cancellation fees even before Ali got a little choked up as she explained the situation.

Ali turns her attention back to Molly, thankful that she was still tucked in bed, sleeping. Convinced that she was okay, at least for now, Ali shuffles back toward the bathroom, pulling a cold bottle of water out of the mini fridge on her way. She stops at the sink and grabs a new face towel, pouring some of the cold water from the bottle over it and wringing it out. She frowns slightly as she leans against the door frame and looks down at Ashlyn, who is resting her cheek on the cold tile.

“Can I sit?”

Ashlyn makes a pathetic noise that sounds somewhat affirmative. Ali steps over her body and carefully gets down on the floor, putting her back against the frosted glass of the shower door and guiding Ashlyn’s head to her lap. She brushes a slightly sweaty piece of hair out of Ashlyn’s eyes.

“Here. Cold,” she warns before putting the towel on her forehead. “Feel good?” 

Ashlyn reaches out and puts a clammy hand on Ali’s ankle as a sign of thanks. “You’re gonna catch it,” she says.

“I can take one for the team if I have to.”

Ashlyn smiles for a moment before frowning again. “I ruined our anniversary.”

“Honey, no, you didn’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Shhh, no.”

“But-“

“Shhh.”

Ashlyn huffs. Ali reaches down and places a hand on Ashlyn’s back, rubbing gentle, soothing circles between her shoulder blades.

“This is going to be a great story that we get to tell our grandkids one day. How our first real family vacation was kind of a disaster, but at least we were all together. And that’s what mattered, right?”

A few minutes later, Ashlyn is half-asleep when she notices that the light back-and-forth of Ali’s fingers has slowed almost to a stop. She forces her eyes open and sees Ali with her head leaning back against the shower door, eyes closed and mouth slack. 

Ashlyn smiles.

She’s often heard Deb say that “everything happens for a reason” - a reason for the good and a reason for the bad. There was a reason for them all ending up in the right place at the right time a year ago, and there was a reason for every single thing that had happened to them since.

So even though she’s disappointed - she thinks maybe there _was_ a reason that her plans for their anniversary dinner fell through. Maybe it wasn’t the right time, or maybe she would have forgotten everything she wanted to say, or maybe she would have been shaking so badly that she knocked a glass of water onto Ali’s lap. 

She falls asleep trying to make herself feel better, thinking of every reason she can.

 

* * *

 

She doesn’t remember how she got there, but Ashlyn wakes up in the bed and not on the floor of the bathroom. She wipes at her eyes to clear them, and when she rolls over, she’s surprised that Molly is the one sitting up on the other side of the bed, with Ali nowhere to be seen. 

“Hi Mama,” Molly chirps brightly.

“Hey baby,” Ashlyn says. “How does your tummy feel?”

“Better. Can you turn the TV on, please?”

Ashlyn takes that as a good sign and sits them both up against the headboard, flipping the channels until Molly gasps when she sees two little pugs on the screen. “This is my favorite!” She snuggles into Ashlyn’s side, already engrossed in the show.

They are about 10 minutes into the episode when they hear the lock on the door, and Ali walks in. She smiles when she sees both of them sitting up, a little more color to their faces.

“My girls,” she coos, sitting on the edge of the bed and making sure not to block the TV. “Feeling a little better this morning?”

Ashlyn nods. “I think we both are.”

“Good,” Ali says, lifting the styrofoam container in her hand. “I brought some toast and a couple of bananas. Crackers, too. You want to try a little bit?”

“Just a bit, maybe.”

Ali opens the container and takes out half a slice of toast, putting it on a napkin and handing it to Ashlyn. Ashlyn tentatively nibbles at the crust as Ali peels one of the bananas, cutting it with a plastic knife. She puts a couple of small slices of banana on another napkin and hands it to Molly.

“Eat them slow, okay?” Ali warns. Molly nods, never turning her head, taking small bites while her eyes remain glued to the TV.

Ashlyn stretches her leg out, poking her toes into Ali’s thigh.

“Hey, how did I get in bed last night?”

Ali’s forehead creases. “You don’t remember?”

Ashlyn’s answer comes in the form of a thoroughly stupefied expression, and Ali laughs.

“Yeah, I definitely helped you up and you walked to the bed by yourself. In the ten-foot walk from the bathroom to the bed, I think you told me I was pretty at least five times.”

“No way.”

“100% serious.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Definitely happened, completely sober and unmedicated.”

Ashlyn shrugs, smirks. “Well it’s nice to know that I never turn off the charm. And obviously, for the record, I think you’re very pretty.”

Ali grins.

They spend the rest of the afternoon recovering (“naps and cartoons are the best medicine”, Ali says to Molly’s delight), and once the evening rolls around and the worst of everything seems to be behind them, Ashlyn texts Ali.

_What do you think about venturing out for a couple of hours?_

Ali picks her phone up after it dings, looking up at Ashlyn, puzzled. But before she can say anything, Ashlyn just gestures to her phone again. Ali sees the text bubble pop up as Ashlyn types another message.

_Didn’t want to say anything out loud and have her hear me if you didn’t think we should go anywhere._

Ali smiles at her gratefully. _Look at you, mastering this mom thing like a rockstar._

_Haha, probably a bit of a stretch._ Ashlyn answers, playing it off, but her heart beats a little faster hearing Ali say it.

_Nope, not at all. So are you ready to see your first Disney fireworks? We can make it if we leave soon._

Ashlyn puts her phone down on the bed and nudges Molly.

“Hey Mol?”

Molly turns, and Ashlyn leans in close and speaks in an almost conspiratorial whisper.

“How about we go see some fireworks?”

Molly gasps, jumping off the bed and scampering for her Belle dress hanging in the closet.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

 

* * *

  

“Wow!” is the only thing that Molly can manage to say when she finally sees the castle for the first time.

“You got that one right,” Ashlyn says, equal parts wonder and amusement. While they continue to gape in disbelief, Ali jogs over to a kiosk and comes back with three buttons, one for Molly that reads “1st Visit!” and a matching set for her and Ashlyn that say “Happily Ever After”.

After Ashlyn estimates that Ali has taken her hundredth picture of Molly on Main Street, Ashlyn feels like Molly needs a reward, so she doesn’t think twice about pulling out her wallet and buying her a light-up Mickey balloon. Molly walks ahead of them, balloon floating in tow, and Ali takes Ashlyn’s hand in hers and squeezes. Ashlyn looks over at her and winks.

Molly turns to the right and looks down the pathway to Tomorrowland, lit up in brightly-colored neon, and gasps when she sees a tall ride with small “rockets” spinning in circles high above the crowd.

“Mommy, let’s go ride that, please!”

Even though she’s feeling better, Ashlyn’s stomach turns at the thought. Thankfully, before Ashlyn even has to say anything, Ali steps in.

“How about we take it easy tonight, okay?” she says. “Let’s maybe just ride some slow rides and watch the fireworks, and once we’re sure everyone feels okay, we can do some cooler stuff like the rockets tomorrow.”

To their surprise, Molly agrees without protest, and Ali guides them towards the gentlest ride she can think of. “I apologize in advance,” she says to Ashlyn a few minutes later as they enter the queue. “But it’s a classic. Eventually the song won’t be stuck in your head anymore.”

(“It’s a Small World” is still stuck in her head on the car ride home.)

 

* * *

 

With the fireworks minutes away from starting, they find a spot farther down the street, away from the castle where the crowds are thinner and the exit is closer. Ali is on the phone, catching Deb and Ken up on the events of the last couple of days while Molly chatters excitedly about her favorite part of the Peter Pan ride (which was basically every part, Ashlyn learns).

“… and I loved the part at the end with Tinkerbell! And that our pirate ship was flying in the air!” 

“That was the coolest thing ever, I know!” Ashlyn agrees.

Molly gets quiet for a moment, then speaks up pensively. “Mama?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you pick me up?”

“You’re a big girl, yeah? Why you need me to hold you?”

“Because I have to tell you something.”

Ashlyn nods and holds out her arms. “Okay, sweetheart. You got it.”

Molly wraps her arms around Ashlyn’s neck, her cheek warm against Ashlyn’s collarbone.

“I love you,” she says simply.

Ashlyn squeezes her tighter. “I love you, too.”

Molly doesn’t say anything after that, and Ashlyn is torn between anticipation and patience, feeling like there’s more that Molly’s not saying, but not wanting to push her. Ashlyn had learned early on that Molly was special. Not just special, but precocious and intuitive and empathetic and every other extraordinary adjective that she could think of.

She’s not disappointed when Molly picks her head up a few moments later.

“Do you remember what Mommy said about wishes?”

“We need to keep them secret until they come true, right?”

Molly nods. “Can I tell you about my wish?”

Ashlyn smiles. “So your wish came true?”

“One of them did! I have lots of wishes, Mama,” Molly says, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “But look! I wished I was a princess and now I am!”

Her crown is askew, wisps of her hair are coming out of her French braid, and that dress is leaving glitter _everywhere_ , but Ashlyn can’t imagine a more perfect sight. “Yep, Mol. You certainly are.”

“So what about your wish?”

“Well,” Ashlyn says, setting Molly back on the ground and doing her best to brush the sparkles off her skinny jeans. “I can’t tell you about it quite yet because it hasn’t come true.”

“Can I help it come true?”

“Absolutely. I will definitely need your help to make my wish come true.”

 

* * *

 

Even though she’s the only one who has been to the Magic Kingdom before, Ali seems to be the most excited when the lights go out and the first fireworks bloom in the sky. Molly jumps at the noise at first, covering her ears, but she settles down after a few minutes and Ali can’t decide whether to watch the fireworks or her face (and Ashlyn’s). Molly claps every time a particularly large firework goes off, and Ali swears she sees Ashlyn discreetly swipe at her eyes a few times.

The finale starts too soon for their liking, the music getting louder, and Ashlyn looks over and sees the joy on Molly and Ali’s faces, the colors in the sky reflecting in their wide eyes. She can’t think of a more perfect moment, a better time than right now. The song playing talks about finding your happily ever after and Ashlyn puts her hands in her pockets and sighs, wishing more than ever that Ali’s ring was there and not still tucked away, hidden in her carry-on.

Ali turns to her, pushes up on her toes to kiss Ashlyn’s cheek as the fireworks crackle in the distance.

Ashlyn pouts before puckering her lips. Ali shakes her head, raising her voice so Ashlyn can hear her over the music.

“My love for you is great, but my hatred for barfing is greater.”

Ashlyn keeps her lips puckered, bats her eyes, and Ali gives in with a quick peck.

Molly sees them in her peripheral vision. “Ew.”

Ali laughs and bumps Ashlyn with her hip. “Just promise to hold my hair back later if I just got your germs.”

Ashlyn snorts. “Romantic.”

“Happy anniversary, babe.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter, believe it or not, is based on something that actually happened to my family about 10 years ago. my poor mom was the only non-food-poisoned person on the trip!
> 
> hopefully i gave anyone who was still interested in this story enough time to catch up! as always, i would love to hear things that you liked, about this chapter or the story as a whole. thanks for reading. :)


	19. xix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wanna start this one off by saying thank you! i never thought i'd see this story reach 15,000 hits - let alone 50,000. so thank you, thank you, thank you. <3

“And… oh! There she is.”

Ali finishes double-knotting a set of balloons to one of their patio chairs before looking up at the sound of Ashlyn’s voice. She’s walking towards her with her iPad held in the air, and the glare from the sun makes Ali squint to see what she’s trying to show her.

“Léonie! Margot!” she says excitedly, waving once she sees them on the screen. The two redheads wave back as Molly pops out onto the patio from behind Ashlyn’s legs. “They called me to say happy birthday!” 

“That was so sweet of them,” Ali says as Ashlyn hands her the iPad in exchange for the other bundle of balloons in her hand. 

“Ashlyn just showed us around your beautiful home! It came out lovely,” Léonie says, sounding genuinely impressed at the transformation.

“Thanks. It took a while but we really love it. Today’s actually the first time we’re having anyone over besides my parents. I’m a little stressed, honestly,” Ali confesses. Ashlyn chuckles from the other side of the patio as she uncovers fruit and veggie trays.

“Yeah, 15 pre-schoolers running around our backyard… what could go wrong?”

 

* * *

 

Ali had insisted to Ashlyn that they go all-out. Their first party in their new home had to be big, and even though it was a 5-year-old’s unicorn-themed birthday party, they were going to make it the biggest and best she’d ever had. “Putting Pinterest to shame” was the goal, according to Ali, and looking at their backyard, she seemed to have pulled no punches.

Bunches of iridescent balloons were everywhere - tied to chairs, table legs, some around the yard held down by small glittery weights - with larger balloons shaped like rainbows or unicorns in the center. Ashlyn had gotten a ladder and tied colored streamers from the tree branch that held Molly’s tire swing and hung pink and white tissue paper pom-poms from the patio cover. Pin the Tail on the Unicorn was fixed to the back fence, and giant wands were laid next to buckets of bubble solution. Games were set up on the far side of the yard, including a ring toss game that Ali had made with painted longneck bottles in a wooden box. She had also forgone a traditional cake, opting instead for doughnuts with white icing, little candy eyelashes and rainbow sprinkles, each with a little golden horn stuck in the top.

The party is far more chaotic than Ali expects, so she’s thankful that Deb volunteers to cover food and drink duty so she can keep a closer eye on the kids in the backyard. Ashlyn can see her stress level rise when the kids start fighting over the one tire swing and three bubble wands (naturally, the two things that they _don’t_  have an abundance of), so she decides to try the best distraction technique she can think of at the time. She ducks back into the house, digging through the cabinet full of art supplies until she finds two buckets of colored chalk.

Ashlyn brushes some leaves off of the driveway, clearing a big enough space before sitting down and starting to work. It takes her about ten minutes, but she finally thinks she has a good product. She’s adding pink to a flowing mane when she calls out to Molly.

“Molly! Come over here and see who’s on the driveway!”

Molly runs over and, as Ashlyn hoped, a handful of kids follow her, their curiosity getting the best of them.

“That’s Bubbles!” Molly says excitedly, pointing down to Ashlyn’s cartoonish drawing of the stuffed unicorn that she gave Molly for her last birthday, with a little speech bubble saying “Happy 5th birthday, Molly!”

“You recognized her!” Ashlyn says, holding her non-chalky fist out for a bump.

“My mama’s really good at drawing things,” Molly brags to the group gathered around her.

“Can you draw a tiger?” one little girl asks her.

“Sure,” Ashlyn says, plucking a piece of orange chalk out of the bucket.

By the time Ashlyn is done with all the requests, even some of the parents have joined them on the driveway, impressed by both her work and how good she was with the kids. Ashlyn only brushes her hands off when there’s nearly a whole zoo of animals covering the concrete. The kids disperse then, going back to the yard to play with the giant inflatable bowling set that Deb had bought while the parents gathered on the porch for coffee or tea.

A little while later, Ashlyn is chatting with Hunter’s mom, who is an architect, when Molly runs up to the edge of the patio.

“Mama?”

Ashlyn’s about to answer her when a woman by the bowls of chips and salsa turns around. “Oh, your mom went inside, honey,” she says, pointing through the sliding glass door and toward the kitchen.

Molly looks between the woman and Ashlyn, brow furrowed. Ashlyn instantly realizes the misunderstanding, so she comes to the rescue, beckoning Molly over. The woman’s confusion is evident as Molly shrugs and walks the rest of the way to where Ashlyn is sitting.

“What’s up, sweetheart?”

“Mama, can I please have another doughnut?”

Ashlyn nods, smiling. “Of course, my birthday girl,” she says, pulling a wet wipe out of the pack they left on the table and handing it to Molly. “Just wipe your hands first.”

As Molly goes over to have her second unicorn doughnut, Ashlyn makes sure she doesn’t leave any room for doubt, smiling as she extends her hand out to the woman.

“Ashlyn. I’m Ali’s partner.”

The woman’s eyes narrow. It’s slight, but unmistakeable. Ashlyn somehow keeps a straight face even as her blood runs cold.

“Peggy.” Her voice is clipped. “I’ve never seen you around school.”

“I’m usually working while they’re in class, so Ali does most things school-related. But you’ll see me at their Field Day next week, for sure,” she says, sickly sweet.

“Mmmm.” Peggy gives her a tight-lipped... well, Ashlyn wonders if you can even call that a _semblance_ of a smile.

“Ashlyn, dear?” Deb says, poking her head out the back door, and Ashlyn has never been more relieved for an interruption in her entire life. “Can you come help Alex and I with the goodie bags?”

“Excuse me,” Ashlyn says to Peggy, taking a few deep breaths as she gets inside and accepts a handful of bags from Deb. She walks back outside just in time to see Peggy, oversized purse on her shoulder, weave through the kids, stopping and taking a small blonde boy with glasses by the arm. She pulls him away from the rest of the kids as Ali steps out onto the patio with the other half of the goodie bags in her arms. Ali follows Ashlyn’s gaze until she sees what has her attention. 

“What’s going on?”

Ashlyn leans over and whispers to Ali as Peggy passes with Dylan in tow, heading towards the street and their car. Ali sets the bags down on a table, walking over to where she can see down the driveway. Molly walks up next to her moments later, and Ali lets out a string of mental curses. Even though she’s positive Molly doesn’t realize the true reason this was happening, she was hoping that she wouldn’t have to see it happening at all.

“Dylan?” Molly calls after him.

The little boy turns around in the driveway and just waves sadly to Molly. She looks up at Ali with big eyes.

“Where’s he going, Mommy?”

“They had to leave, baby,” Ali says tersely, eyes boring virtual holes into Peggy’s back as she tries her best not to let Molly hear the evident frustration in her voice.

“But why does Dylan have to leave? We were having fun.”

Ali squats down so that they’re eye-to-eye, plastering on her best fake smile. “Dylan was definitely having fun. But you’ve got so many other awesome friends here to play with. Look! Grace and Maggie are playing hopscotch. Go on,” she says, nudging Molly in their direction. She nods, ever-resilient, and does as Ali says.

She’s giggling by the time she reaches her friends.

 

* * *

 

Ali is usually the first one awake, her internal “mom clock” never failing. That’s why, when she finally stirs the next morning, she’s surprised to find Ashlyn already awake, staring at the ceiling.

“Morning,” she mumbles, offering Ashlyn a sleepy smile. The one she gets in return doesn’t quite reach Ashlyn’s eyes.

“I know that look,” Ali says, more awake now, rolling onto her stomach and resting her cheek on Ashlyn’s bicep. “What’s on your mind?”

Ashlyn sighs, and Ali is patient, giving her time to collect her thoughts. 

“What that bitch did yesterday. Peggy. Dylan’s mom, whatever.”

“Honey,” Ali says, “just forget about her. I know it’s eating at you because it’s eating at me, too. But we can’t dwell on it, because then she wins.”

Ashlyn huffs, tilting her head to meet Ali’s eyes. “It’s just… it fucking sucks. And I’m not even mad or upset for us. I’m mad and upset that Molly had to watch her friend basically be dragged from her party. Like she was being punished for having two people that love her and love each other. I just wanna protect her from all that and I know that we can’t protect her forever.”

Ali lifts up on her elbows, stretching her right leg over Ashlyn’s and moving to fully lay on top of her. She puts her head on Ashlyn’s shoulder. “I know.”

They lay in silence for few minutes before Ali sits up, still in Ashlyn’s lap. She cups her hands around her face, and Ashlyn finally notices the tears welling in her eyes. She goes to say something, but Ali stops her.

“Shhh, just listen.”

Ashlyn presses her lips together and exhales.

“I know we can’t protect her or each other from any of that stuff. And you know, maybe we aren’t thick-skinned enough to let it just roll off our backs. It’s hard. But I never want you to forget that I love you, and no matter what anyone says, I will never believe that loving you is wrong.”

Ashlyn pulls Ali down to her, kissing her deeply.

Ashlyn had always feared this day, ever since she knew that Ali was the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Something like this would happen, and someone else’s ignorance would rear its big, ugly head and that Ali would leave her for Molly’s sake, or her own. And yet, here Ali was, raw and honest and fiercely loyal, unwavering in her devotion to her, to Molly, to their family.

Ashlyn feels like a giant weight has been lifted from her chest, like she can finally breathe again.

She sighs against Ali’s mouth, and her sigh turns into a gasp when she feels Ali start to push her boxers off her hips, tearing her lips away to suck at the juncture of Ashlyn’s neck.

“Fuck. Alex.” Ashlyn is seemingly already out of breath. “Molly could get up any minute,“ she warns, even as she untangles her boxers from her ankles and tosses them over Ali’s shoulder.

“We have…” Ali lifts her head up to check the clock, “at least 20 minutes before she’ll even move. Plenty of time.” Ali’s hand snakes under the hem of Ashlyn’s shirt, her thumb brushing the underside of her breast as she puts her mouth next to Ashlyn’s ear. “Unless, you know, something loud wakes her up.”

The speed and force at which Ashlyn flips them over makes Ali squeak.

“Now what was that about being loud?” Ashlyn’s voice is low, and her thigh is suddenly between Ali’s legs, and Ali arches up against her, gasping, digging her fingers into Ashlyn’s hipbones. Ashlyn chuckles, smug with the satisfaction of momentarily getting the upper hand. Ali wants to be annoyed about it (she really, _really_  does), but Ashlyn is looming above her in nothing but a faded Pink Floyd shirt, her neck flushed and blonde hair spilling over her shoulders, and Ali swears her brain short-circuits a little. 

Ali grabs at Ashlyn’s shirt and it starts a frantic scramble, a rush to be naked and once they are, Ali goes to pick up where she left off before Ashlyn stops her. Ali frowns, but Ashlyn shakes her head. She takes Ali’s face in her hands, slowing them down, and kisses her. It’s tender and meant to soothe, not to inflame, and she knows she’s successful when she feels Ali relax against her, the tension leaving her body.

Ashlyn breaks the kiss, opening her eyes just in time to see Ali’s flutter open as well.

“Hey,” Ashlyn whispers.

Ali can’t help but smile. “Hi.”

Ashlyn leans in to kiss her again, taking one of Ali’s hands underneath the covers. When she stops their joined hands at the top of their thighs, she doesn’t miss the way Ali’s breath hitches. 

Ashlyn knows Ali understands, but she asks anyway. “Together?”

Ali nods, kissing Ashlyn slowly.

The angle is far from perfect, and both of them could certainly do this with far more finesse, but Ashlyn swears this is the most intimate moment they’ve ever shared. Ali is pressed against every inch of her, and Ashlyn can feel all the quiet sounds she makes before she even hears them. With the emotions of the morning running high, and how well she knows Ali’s body, Ashlyn is positive this won’t take long.

She’s right, and Ali comes first, letting out a soft, shaky whimper against Ashlyn’s temple. Ashlyn isn’t far behind her, muffling a strangled gasp of Ali’s name in her neck when Ali moves her hand just right. Ali rolls them, laying on her back with Ashlyn half-sprawled over her. Ashlyn lays her head on Ali’s chest, and she can feel the strong _thump-thump-thump_  of her heart against her cheek.

“I love you,” Ashlyn says.

“I love you, too.”

They lay there, Ali combing her fingers through Ashlyn’s hair until the knots are all gone. “Hungry?” she asks as she loosens the last one.

“Yeah. But I’m not ready to get up,” Ashlyn mumbles from somewhere near Ali’s collarbone. Ali kisses the top of her head.

“How about you stay here and I go make us some breakfast, then,” Ali says, stretching down to give her one last, lingering kiss before she crawls from under her and out of the bed.

“Shit,” Ashlyn groans, ogling her naked girlfriend like a teenage boy. “Molly is _so_  staying with your parents next weekend.” Ali laughs as she swipes Ashlyn’s shirt and boxers up from where they landed, throwing them on and pulling her hair up.

“Wait, come back,” Ashlyn whines, pouting. “You look so hot.”

“I’m going to make break-fast,” Ali sing-songs as she heads to the kitchen, calling back to Ashlyn from the hallway. “If you hurry and get dressed, maybe you’ll have time to stare at my ass some more before the food’s ready.”

Ashlyn smiles.

 _God_ , she loves this woman.

 

* * *

 

Ali hears the shuffle of Ashlyn’s feet before she sees her, and she’s smiling before Ashlyn even enters the kitchen.

“Hey again,” Ali murmurs, barely audible over the sizzle of bacon in the skillet and the episode of Sofia the First playing on the TV. 

Ashlyn pauses to kiss the side of Ali’s neck as she passes. “Delicious,” she says, grinning widely, and the calculated innuendo is not lost on Ali, who shakes her head and blushes despite her best efforts not to.

Molly is already sitting at the table, taking what appears to be her last bite of scrambled eggs, the crusts of two halves of toast laying next to her plate on the table. 

“Whoa, whoa,” Ashlyn laughs. “That must have been one delicious breakfast. How do you think the chef did, huh? Is it worth me placing an order?” Molly’s fork clatters against the plate as she gives Ali two enthusiastic thumbs-up, knowing better than to talk with her mouth full. Ashlyn turns to Ali, her nod overly exaggerated.

“Well, that settles it,” Ashlyn says, breaking out her terrible British accent, and Ali groans. “Madame, two plates of your finest bacon and eggs, please. I have a breakfast date with a very fine lady that I absolutely must impress.”

Molly giggles, and it doesn’t take long before Ali breaks, unable to keep her faux air of annoyance up any longer. “God, you’re ridiculous,” she laughs.

“More eggs for me, too, please, madame!” Molly says, scampering off to watch TV from the couch.

“Paper’s sitting under the phone,” Ali says, nodding her head towards the other counter.

Ashlyn perks up. “Oh, yes!” She pulls the newspaper out of the plastic bag, sitting cross-legged in her chair at the table and immediately flipping through the sections. “I wanna read what they say about Harper getting ejected last night. Shoulda never argued that call,” she mutters.

Ashlyn polishes off the bacon on her plate quickly, and Ali watches with amusement as her eyes fly back and forth across the pages. Ashlyn takes the last sip of her coffee as Ali takes the last bite of her bacon, wiping her hands off on her napkin. “I’m gonna make Molly another egg… you want more?” Ali asks as she carries her plate to the sink.

“No more food for me, but hey,” Ashlyn says absently, holding out her empty mug while her eyes remain glued to the sports section. “Since you’re up, refill, please?”

Ali turns back toward the table and she swears her heart skips a beat or three.

Ali knows that, to anyone else, there would be nothing special about any of this. It’s just a Sunday, and it’s just breakfast. She’s in Ashlyn’s clothes, and Ashlyn’s wearing a plain black tank top and some cotton shorts. She’s finishing the last bites of her eggs, and Ali knows that, to anyone else, the occasional scrape of a fork against a plate wouldn’t be pleasant. But, to Ali, it seems melodic, in a strange harmony with the sound of Molly’s laughter from the living room and the intermittent _whoosh_  of a car rolling down their street; it’s a perfect soundtrack to her perfect morning. She watches Ashlyn as she thumbs through more pages, the sun pouring in and illuminating her bedhead with an ethereal glow.

Ali can’t quite believe that this is _her_ life. 

She got _this_ lucky.

“Babe?” Ashlyn says, and Ali shakes her head, pulling herself out of her reverie.

“Yeah, of course. Just gonna go wash my hands real quick, give me a sec.”

“‘kay, thanks.”

Ali returns not a minute later pulling the elastic out of her hair, shaking it loose from the bun she had it tied in and going to the table, picking up Ashlyn’s mug as promised. Before she can get too far away, Ashlyn’s hand darts out and she takes Ali’s free one, bringing it up to her mouth and kissing it. Ali rolls her eyes good-naturedly, unable to suppress her smile. She goes to walk away but Ashlyn won’t release her hand, pulling her towards her until Ali gives in and leans down for a kiss. Ashlyn momentarily deepens it behind the curtain of Ali’s hair, and Ali nearly falls forward into her lap, stopping herself with a hand to Ashlyn’s chest, wrapping her hand in the fabric of her tank top.

“Mmmm,” Ali hums against her mouth. She moves back just enough to see Ashlyn’s face through half-lidded eyes. “What was that for?”

Ashlyn’s eyes twinkle. “Just because.” Ali pecks her lips one more time before walking back to the coffee pot.

“Hey Mol? Can you come in here?” Ali calls toward the living room. “I need your help with something.”

Molly’s bare feet smack on the tile as she runs into the kitchen. Ali beckons her over, bending down and holding Ashlyn’s mug out in front of her. 

“Can you help me and bring this to Mama? Be careful, two hands.”

Molly walks over and takes the mug from Ali, but after one step towards Ashlyn, she stops. “But, Mommy-“

“It’s okay, just go ahead and give it to her,” Ali encourages. Ashlyn doesn’t look up from the paper again until Molly is right beside her, holding the mug up in the air.

“Careful!” she exclaims, dropping the pages so quickly that they fall onto the floor behind her chair.  “You might spill it and burn...” Ashlyn trails off when she takes the cup from Molly and realizes that it’s actually empty - except for one thing. She lets out a short, shaky laugh, covering her mouth with a trembling hand as tears fill her eyes.

“See, Mommy? That was mean that you tricked her. She just wanted coffee!”

Ali pads over to the table, kissing the top of Molly’s head and whispering something in her ear that Ashlyn can’t quite make out. Whatever it is makes Molly gasp and clap her hands, and she moves out of the way so that Ali can kneel down in front of Ashlyn, sitting back on her heels and putting her hands on Ashlyn’s thighs.

“Alex?” Ashlyn whispers, all joy and disbelief, as she finally lifts her head to meet Ali’s eyes. Ali gives her a watery smile and nods. Ashlyn’s heart pounds, her gaze flittering between the beautiful woman in front of her and the bottom of the cup. The tears start to roll down her cheeks and she makes no move to wipe them away. 

“Okay,” Ali jokes, lifting a finger up to catch a few tears. “You need to stop that because if you don’t, I’m just gonna cry harder and I really wanna get this out.” Ashlyn lets out a noise that Ali thinks is somewhere between a sob and a chuckle.

“Sorry, sorry,” Ali says, shaking her head. She notices that her hands have started trembling, too, and she shakes them a few times in a feeble attempt to calm herself. “God, why am I so nervous?” she whispers.

“Don’t worry, Mommy,” Molly says with bravado from somewhere over Ali’s left shoulder. “I’m right behind you.”

Ali and Ashlyn both laugh, and with the tension broken, Ali feels a little lighter, taking the mug from Ashlyn and setting it on the table. She takes Ashlyn’s left hand in both of hers, smiling at the smudges of ink on the pads of her fingers.

She takes a deep breath.

“Ashlyn,” Ali exhales, voice full of reverence and adoration, and Ashlyn knows that her name will never sound more beautiful than it does right now, at this very moment.

“I wish I had words that were... in any way adequate enough for everything that you mean to me,” Ali says, and that’s all she gets out before she starts crying. Ashlyn reaches down, cupping Ali’s cheek and returning the gesture by brushing the tears aside until Ali collects herself.

“I never thought that I...,” Ali starts again before she pauses, looking over her shoulder at Molly and smiling before turning back to Ashlyn, “that _we_  would find someone that would love us as wholly and as passionately as you do. And until I met you, I never knew that it was possible to love someone as deeply as we love you.”

Ashlyn rubs her thumb over Ali’s knuckles.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, and I don’t know what the future holds. There’s a whole lot I don’t know, and a whole lot I’m still learning about myself, and you, and our daughter,” her voice finally cracks, and she sees a few more tears escape and roll down Ashlyn’s face.

“Alex,“ Ashlyn breathes.

“What I do know, though? What I am absolutely certain of is that I want to spend the rest of my life learning it all with you. I’ve known that for a long time. And I know, I know I’m rambling,” Ali says, shaking her head. “I just… I didn’t plan to do this today, but I glanced over at you sitting here and you looked so beautiful and I decided that I couldn’t wait another second to ask.”

Ali takes a quick, deep breath, trying to keep her voice from wavering. Because she truly is absolutely certain. She doesn’t want Ashlyn to think that she has any doubt about this, because she’s never been more sure of anything in her life.

“Will you marry me?”

Ashlyn just nods, a fresh wave of tears falling as she takes Ali’s face in her hands, pulling her up to kiss her as they barely register Molly’s exuberant “YAY!” in the background.

Ashlyn’s still shaking when she pulls back from Ali’s lips, resting their foreheads together. “You’re going to need to get that ring out of that mug for me,” she laughs. “I don’t think I can move right now.”

Ali grins, taking the ring out, and Ashlyn loses her breath when Ali slips it on and kisses her fingertips. 

Ashlyn wipes her eyes so she can get a good look, gaping once her vision clears.

“Babe, this is… God, it’s _beautiful_.”

“Let me see, Mama!” Molly says, running over to Ashlyn’s side. 

“We met in April,” Ali murmurs as Ashlyn and Molly watch the ring glitter in the sun. “And Molly was born in April, and lucky for me, the April birthstone is a-“

“Diamond,” Ashlyn finishes for her. Ali nods. “So there are three stones, one for each of us. I saw this ring and I knew it was the one.”

Ashlyn has to kiss her.

“It’s amazing,” she says breathlessly. “You’re amazing. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“And I love you most!” Molly says, throwing her arms around Ashlyn. Ali wraps them both up in her arms, Molly ending up sandwiched between them.

“Mommy?” she says after a few moments.

“Yes, my girl?”

“Can you _please_ make my eggs now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did any of you see that coming? ;)  
> [this](https://i.imgur.com/NEli57X.jpg) is the ring ali gave her.
> 
> hope you enjoyed. let me know what you liked/loved/hated in the comments, if you're so inclined.


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